The crowd exploded, their voices a deafening wall of sound, money and bottles exchanging hands as the body was dragged out of the cage, leaving a bloody trail in the sand.
A hulking figure lumbered toward me, his gut straining against his shirt. "So you're the new blood," he grunted, sizing me up. "Viper, right? You sticking with that, or you got something better for the stage?"
I met his gaze, my voice low and steady. "Death. My name is Death."
The fat man threw his head back, his belly shaking as he barked out a laugh, the sound grating against the hum of the crowd. "Ha! Ha-ha, sure, sure—pick whatever the hell you want," he wheezed, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow with a greasy finger. His yellowed teeth gleamed in the dim light as he jerked a thumb toward the cage, his voice dripping with mocking amusement. "Next round's yours, kid. Don't embarrass yourself."
I didn't bother with a reply.
