The entire left side of the building was taken up by a sort of arena. The floor area was a square perhaps fifteen feet on each side, surfaced with hard-packed dirt. It was set below the level of the building, and completely surrounded with a metal fence that was ten feet high. This "cage" was in turn surrounded by rows of ampitheatre-style seating, so that the spectators could look down at the action.
There was only one practical use for such a setup: blood sport. And indeed, that was the purpose. Fights of various kinds were constantly arranged, and occurred several times daily. They weren't always to the death, but they were invariably brutal, and even when it wasn't the goal, fatality was a common side effect among the participants.
The casino was as loud as usual, with the normal yelling, arguing, and the occasional shriek of joy from a lucky winner. The noise coming from the cage, however, drowned that out almost completely. There were yells, howls, and all sorts of noises. The sign ups were on, and tonight was a fight to the death. New blood would be spilled today, and more than one person wasn't coming home. But the thrill of it over-ruled all sense, and tonight was expecialy packed.
Tall Johnny was sitting on a bench, taking all the sign ups. He'd be gone in an hour, when the sun went down, and the bloodletting started. It wouldn't do to let someone cheat in his casino, now would it?
Already the staff were on the move, encouraging betting, talking to the audience, riling them up. It was invariably easier to get them to bet if they got in the fighting mood first.
