A ripple went through her fellow pit dwellers as they received some signal Elena missed.
The children remained motionless as the Sye tilted their head to look up at the grates in the ceiling. Elena followed their gaze, finding Lothos and the general who'd thrown her in here observing them.
Lothos nodded at his companion. The general lifted a container, dumping several coins through the grate and onto the floor of the pit.
Elena's fellow pit dwellers stared as the Sye looked over their shoulder to address the oldest boy. "You know what to do."
The boy gestured at the other children as the pit erupted into chaos. Blood flowed as the Tsavitee descended on each other, fighting over the limited number of coins. The children hung back, playing it smart as they allowed their much larger opponents to exhaust themselves before entering the fray.
All but the oldest boy, who threw himself into the midst of battle without hesitation. He laid about him with fist and claw, his face expressionless as he decimated the demons and war drones who got in his way. He reached a cluster of coins, bending down to grab a handful before stalking toward the nearest wall.
Elena didn't get to see his exit as a pair of Tsavitee crashed into the wall next to her, savaging each other with their claws. A strangled scream of surprise escaped Elena as she pressed herself as far back into the nook as she could go.
Blood sprayed as the larger of the two swiped his claws across the other's face, leaving ribbons of flesh hanging.
A howl issued from the injured Tsavitee. He hurled himself at the larger one's head, winding his body around it as he shredded everything in reach.
He got lucky, his claws ripping through an artery.
A gurgle came from the bigger Tsavitee as he stumbled, falling to the ground. The coin he was holding rolled to a stop at Elena's feet.
For a split second, time slowed. The surviving Tsavitee's startlement matching Elena's as they stared at each other in complete shock at the unexpected encounter. An instant later, her gaze shifted to the pair of children creeping up behind him, their daggers already raised.
Elena didn't give herself time to think or second guess, bending down to swipe the coin off the ground just as the children struck. The Tsavitee never had a chance, dead before he could scream.
Elena darted across the room toward the wall the general boy had disappeared through. The children, a yellow and a wraith, pursued her as she fled through the chaos.
A Tsavitee hit the ground at her feet, already dead.
Elena dodged around him, weaving through the press of bodies in a desperate bid for survival. She fed ki to the muscles in her legs. Her soul's breath was sluggish to respond, something in the environment bringing a sense of wrongness. A slimy feeling coated her insides, making her feel dirty as it followed her ki pathways.
Elena pushed the awful sensation to the back of her mind, deciding to analyze it later. You know, when she wasn't in danger of dying at Tsavitee hands.
Taking a chance, Elena glanced behind her, slowing when she found her trail entirely blocked off by adult Tsavitee battling among themselves. No pint sized assassins in sight.
Despite the reprieve, Elena didn't let herself relax. Danger still stalked her steps. An ever present reminder that there was no safety net in the form of an aunt or uncle to catch her if she faltered.
With that thought at the front of her mind, Elena turned to find her path obstructed by a Tsavitee demon.
He grinned down at her, showing sharp teeth as a pair of war drones flanked him. "Fresh meat."
Despite their name, war drones weren't actual drones in the way Uncle Jin was. Or machines of any kind.
Elena wasn't sure where their name came from or why humans chose it when there were so many other options. Maybe it was because of their resemblance to the drones of Earth's bees? As in they had one purpose in life. In this case killing instead of breeding. And also tended to be extremely short lived.
They were built like walls. Angry, vicious walls who were currently blocking Elena's path to salvation.
In the past few minutes, Tsavitee had started streaming toward the wall in increasing numbers as they snatched the coins and fled. That by itself wouldn't be cause for concern. Except the environment of the cave was quickly becoming unbearable. The air hotter. The walls steaming as drops of water evaporated from their surface.
What did she want to bet that it wouldn't be long before this place was uninhabitable. She didn't think she wanted to be here when that happened.
"You sure you want to do this? You saw what happened to your companion last time," Elena bluffed, reaching behind her for the femur she'd found the first day. The days since had been spent sharpening the bone's tip until it was a lethal point.