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As they heard Adrian\'s voice, they exchanged glances and nodded.

Only after Adrian and the woman left did they show themselves...

"That woman is probably a bandit as well," Aria muttered. "Or else he wouldn\'t have acted like that."

"Right, no sane or idiot woman would just bathe in an open area unless they are absolutely sure there\'s no one around." Lila agreed quickly. "She is probably that type of woman as well. I\'m surprised at how Adrian handled her actions. He seemed to even dislike them."

"Hmm..." Aria nodded. She believed in Adrian so she wasn\'t worried about him falling her charm. She was way more beautiful than that woman.

"But, what should we do now?" Kairen asked. "Should we follow after them or..."

"No, that cave is probably the bandits\' hideout," Ardel replied. "My uncle used to tell me to never enter a bandit or thief\'s lair without proper planning or manpower."

"Hmph, at least your uncle was smart," Lila said looking at Ardel.

Ardel ignored her words, he was already used to her odd \'personality\'. He only pitied his friend who she was pursuing.

Then he looked at Aria since she was the second in command. But she was standing in her spit like a frozen statue. \'Hmm? Are her eyes glowing? Or am I just imagining?\'

He noticed the slight purple glow in her eyes, but before he could react, Aria blinked, and the glow disappeared. She shook her head slightly, refocusing on the group.

"Ardel\'s right, we can\'t afford to rush in blindly," Aria said, her voice firm. "We need to gather more information and plan our next move carefully. If that cave is indeed the bandits\' hideout, charging in without a strategy could be quite disastrous."

"Right..." Lila agreed again.

Ardel just sighed, at least grateful for Aria.

"Let\'s hide and wait till they come back or other people come out," Aria suggested again already climbing and hiding on top of a big tree.

Aria and the others nodded and quickly found hiding spots among the rocks and foliage. They settled in, watching the cave entrance intently. After about ten minutes, Aria suddenly tensed and whispered, "Let\'s move. We need to hide farther away."

The group exchanged confused glances but trusted Aria\'s instincts. They silently retreated, putting a good distance between themselves and the cave. After about ten kilometers, they stopped in a small, secluded clearing.

"Ardel, use your ability to search for any presences nearby," Aria instructed.

Ardel nodded, closing his eyes and concentrating. A faint glow surrounded him as he extended his senses outward. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and said, "I sense three presences. Two are moving away in the direction of the other side of the mountain. One is heading towards us."

Aria nodded, her expression resolute. "We\'ll ambush that one. Get ready."

They waited in tense silence as the presence drew closer. Ardel whispered, "He\'s here," but they saw no one. Realization dawned on them—this person was using a stealth ability or spell.

"Don\'t worry, he can\'t hide from me," Ardel whispered, focusing intently. "He\'s about thirty meters to the left, near that large boulder."

Aria nodded and swiftly cast her Earth Bind and Ice Sculpt spells. The ground beneath the hidden figure erupted, followed by a surge of ice, binding and revealing their target. A masked man materialized, struggling against the sudden restraints.

"Got you," Aria stepped closer to the restrained masked man, her eyes cold and unwavering. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The man glared at them, his defiant eyes betraying no fear. "Let me go, and I might tell you."

"You\'re in no position to make demands," Aria retorted, tightening the icy bonds around him. "Talk, or I\'ll make you."

The man gritted his teeth, clearly weighing his options. Realizing he had no choice, he finally spoke. "Fine. Guess I have no choice."

"Hmm?!\'

He suddenly flicked his wrist, tossing a small object into the air. A burst of mist and dust exploded, enveloping them and blocking their view.

"He\'s escaping!" Ardel shouted, sensing the man\'s movement.

"No, he can\'t," Aria muttered. She quickly cast a wind spell, dispersing the mist and dust. With a swift motion, she shot numerous lightning and ice shards in the masked man\'s direction. Some hit their mark, but the man didn\'t stop.

Ardel had already moved, appearing in front of the fleeing man. The masked man drew his dagger and launched a vicious attack.

Ardel was ready to strike, his dagger already inches away from the man\'s chest, but Ardel hesitated for a split second, which nearly cost his life.

The masked man slightly bent his body and stroked Ardel with an intent to kill.

Ardel sensed immense danger and quickly moved, he managed to deflect one of the masked man\'s strikes, but a second dagger, hidden in the man\'s sleeve stabbed Ardel in the hand.

"Argh!" Ardel screamed in pain, losing his footing. The man launched once again.

Aria, seeing Ardel in danger, swiftly cast her spell. Ice shot from the ground, restraining the masked man again. Simultaneously, three large fireballs from Lila hit him squarely, their flames consuming his clothes and burning his chest to a crisp. The man collapsed, coughing blood, his body a smoldering ruin.

Aria and the others rushed to Ardel\'s side, concern etched on their face. "Ardel, are you alright?" Kairen asked. Blood was seeing out the place Ardel was holding with his other hand.

Ardel winced but nodded, clutching his injured hand, trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible. "l-I am fine. Just a scratch."

Aria quickly took out a healing potion and gave it to Ardel. "Thank you for holding him off. Here drink this."

Ardel smiled weakly as he drank the potion. The wound slowly closed, the bleeding stopped, and the pain subsided. He flexed his fingers and nodded, reassured by the potion\'s effectiveness. "Much better. Thank you, Aria."

Aria turned her attention to the masked man, who lay smoldering on the ground. "Now, you have no way to run," she said, her voice cold and determined.

The man let out a pained laugh, his voice raspy and weak. "You think... so...?"

"?"

"!"