Bewildered, he glanced up in haste. His gaze met with the leader's mockery and proudful gaze.
The leader raised his feet to brutally trample onto the young man's face. The young man condensed air beneath him and let it push him up. He got on his feet, narrowly avoid the crashing foot of the leader which caused crashed on the ground when it hit the ground. His usual grin faltered immediately.
Anyone could tell from the men's expressions that they were all baffled.
"Febo Rusefim i?" (Air manipulation too) the leader hissed.
The leader—a natural manipulator of earth and ores had utilised air manipulation to attack the young man from behind. The young man—a manipulator of light and also of earth, did the same to push himself up. Manipulating multiple different elements required talent, skill and determination.
The young man smirked as a response. He changed his posture into fighting stance.
In the next instant, earth extruded from the ground and coated the young man all the way to his shoulders. Only his shoulders and head remained free. He tried to struggle, but the earth's grip was absolute. He became more like a statue, he could only move his head. The attack had been swift enough to caught the young man off guard.
The leader smirked and climbed the staircases with quick steps.
Lufe and the others, realized they did a big mistake by staying there watching the fight. They might have escaped or hide.
"We have to get out of here." Lufe shouted gesturing his sisters to run.
"How about mom?" asked Jess, concern evident in her eyes.
"I got her, you go!" he barked.
Selena, clutching her leg, managed to reach for the single container of yoghurt she kept—intending to offer it to Lufe, but then realized how to use it as a weapon. Gathering every ounce of strength, she flung the yoghurt at the leader's face. Thick white liquid splashed across his face and beard, gumming his lips.
He stuck out his tongue and tasted the liquid. His face brightened as he turned to his subordinates, he nodded.
"Wero cion mawa." (It tastes good) he uttered. "Aoi gusra cion mawa." (you may tastes good too.)
The bandits laughed.
Selena immediately rose into the air by the leader's telekinesis powers. She was pulled to the leader who threw her to the ground and let earth bury her from the bottom to the waist.
"You, stay here," as soon as he said that he made his way up the stairs again.
CRACK!
The leader's skull jerked back. A fire extinguisher had crashed onto the his head. Lufe stood on top of the stairs, unsure if his attack was a success.
The leader clutched his head as he staggered backwards until he fell to the ground. A thin line of blood trickling from his temple.
"Kolahab yao!" (Fetch them all!) he roared in fury.
His subordinates—eyes wild with bloodlust—charged up the stairs like angry wolves.
Lufe burst into the upstairs hallway—Jess and Merry already there. The hallway's narrow corridor lined with picture frames and dusty rugs that barely muffled footsteps. He spotted an old oak writing desk pushed against the far wall. He grabbed the desk by its corner. The desk's carved legs had been carved with faint floral motifs, and the solid wood felt heavy in his hands.
Below, they heard the bandits' roar as they reached the base of the stairs. The hallway door burst open. Lufe spun, swinging the desk like a battering ram. He hooked it against the first man's head just as the man lunged forward.
Seizing the moment, Lufe grabbed Merry and Jess.
"Run! Quickly!" he hissed, bolting toward the first bedroom on the left. The door slammed shut behind them, the lock clicking into place.
The room was cramped—an old guest bedroom with a single bed, a small dresser, and a nightstand. A flickering lamp sat on the bedside table.
Lufe slammed the door shut and turned the old knob, hoping it would hold. He propped a chair against it, but the flimsy wood groaned under the looming threat beyond.
"Stay back!" Merry shouted at Jess, who clutched her arms around her knees, rocking with fear. "We need to defend ourselves."
Lufe nodded, scanning the room. He grabbed the lamp, its brass base cold in his hands. The lampshade shook as he hefted it—ready to swing.
The door shattered. Splinters rained down as a burly thug lunged inside, club swinging. Lufe ducked, the club missing his head by inches, and brought the lamp's sharp edge down onto the thug's shoulder. A harsh crack echoed as the man staggered, roaring. Lufe shoved him aside, sending him crashing into the bed. He struggled to rise, clutching his shoulder, as Jess scrambled beneath the bed.
Merry faced off against another assailant. The man's club hovered midair, controlled by powerful telekinesis. He smirked, lifting his arm as if daring her to strike. Merry didn't hesitate; she yanked the bed's blanket from top to bottom, wrapping it around the man's legs. He stumbled, losing his balance as he crashed into the dresser. The lamp on the dresser lurched and slipped from its spot, falling toward the floor. Merry herded the man into the lamp's path; it crashed against his knee before smashing to the ground. The man fell onto the shards of glass and metal, howling in pain.
Lufe twirled the lamp over his head and stepped toward the third man—who blocked the single window. He raised his club, the ore gleaming. Lufe swung the lamp, but the club shot forward telekinetically, knocking Lufe aside. The lamp flew from Lufe's hands, skidding across the floor. The glass shattered with a spray of sharp fragments.
Lufe swore, pulling a small wooden stool from under the bed. He hurled it at the man's head—only to have the club telekinetically lift the stool midair and slam it back into Lufe's chest. Lufe tumbled across the floor, coughing, winded.
Merry rushed to help, punching the bandit's arm that held the club. Her fist struck with enough force to break the telekinetic grip. The club clattered free. Merry grabbed it, swinging it to knock him off his feet. He crashed into the closet, sending clothes flying out.
Jess crawled out, her eyes wide as she watched the crazy skirmish. She reached for a small metal box on the dresser—an old jewelry box—and flung it at a fourth man who had slipped in behind them. The box struck his ankle, causing him to topple, screaming as he landed on a pile of loose floorboards.
From below, the leader's bellow echoed, and the floorboards trembled. The survivors looked at each other, breaths ragged.
Lufe wiped sweat from his brow and glanced at the broken lamp. "We have to move," he panted. "They'll break through soon."
Merry nodded. She took Lufe's hand. "Follow me." She darted past the shattered lamp and leaped onto the bed, vaulting over the small dresser into the adjacent room—another guest bedroom, this one with a wardrobe and a writing desk.
Lufe and Jess followed, landing inside with a thud. The door slammed behind them as Merry shoved it closed. Now they were in a room filled with trunks, pillows, and a small vanity.
"Keep going," Lufe urged quietly. He took Jess's hand. They squeezed between a trunk and the wardrobe, sliding along the wall toward a small doorway leading to the master bedroom's balcony.
They pushed the balcony door open. Outside, the orchard—their old yard—was gone. In its place, the same whitish-brown earth dotted with giant mushroom-like trees stretched out under a smoke-chocked sky.
"Smoke?" Merry murmured in astonishment.