The atmosphere in the stables was much calmer since no one was readying for pictures, and quieter since some people had packed up and left when their zombies died or were injured in the melees and matches. An email had come in as Ink slept with the list of second matches for men in the 20-35 category. Thor was paired up with Dog of Tartarus, and Ink allowed himself to feel hopeful that his zombie might pull off another amazing victory. Dog of Tartarus was good, but not great. He had been fighting for two-and-a-half years now, a solid middle-of-the-road performer. Never had he fallen in a melee, but rarely had he made it to the final battle with the top five contestants either. And now he didn’t even take those drugs to bulk him up! Ink skimmed his history and liked what he saw. Thor had a chance. But even if he lost, there was no shame. Dog of Tartarus had a great manager in Matthias West. The fellow was young, but he hadn’t fallen under the sway of the training fads like starvation and warm-up fights like so many young managers did.
