We sat there, staring at Tabi in stunned silence, trying to process his words.

"We do," I finally replied. "How do you know him?"

"He came by a day ago."

"That's impossible," Carol interjected. "He's dead."

"Oh, I guarantee you he isn't... yet," Tabi replied cryptically.

"What did you do to him!" I shouted, concerned he might be trying to blackmail us.

Tabi remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and spoke softly :

"I didn't do anything to him. Malii is a longtime friend of mine, and he's in trouble."

I paused, taking a moment to think. Malii was supposed to be dead, or at least that's what I believed when I saw his burned and bloodied hat. Was this some kind of trap? Or could it be real?

"How can Malii be here? The village was attacked, and he was killed," I commented, my confusion evident.

"He survived, and so did Danalii. He has the Gem," the old Watoo replied.

My eyes widened in surprise. Danalii, too? And they had the Gem?

"I don't believe you," Carol said, her skepticism apparent. "We found his hat full of blood. Besides, how did he make it up here? The elevator hadn't been used in a long time when we finally reached it."

"That elevator wasn't the only one," he explained.

"But Malii told me he had never been to the Tower," I questioned, trying to make sense of it all.

"Oh yes, it was his first time! Not the best situation for a first-timer," Tabi replied.

He gestured for us to allow him to speak and proceeded to explain, "Malii and Danalii didn't come here of their own accord. The Priestess was forced, brought here by the woman who attacked the village. It was an organized operation by another Revival that partnered with a goblin leader. She came to seize the Gem of Abzu but had a particular interest in capturing Danalii alive. Malii simply followed the group that kidnapped the Priestess, trailing them to here."

He paused, giving us time to absorb his words.

Another Revival? A woman? My mind raced with thoughts.

"That woman took Danalii with her, but she doesn't have the Gem. Malii has it," Tabi continued. "When Malii arrived here, he sought my help in saving Danalii."

"Do you know the woman's name?" I asked, hoping for more information.

"No," he replied. "Malii didn't know her."

"Can you provide any description?", I questioned, thinking it could be Cleo.

"I didn't ask, I'm sorry."

"Where is Malii now?" I inquired, desperate for any leads.

"He went to a nearby bandit camp led by a former fisherman named Bawa. Malii was hoping to recruit them to help rescue the Priestess. Bawa used to be from this village; I've known him since he was a little kid. Malii went there with a letter from me."

"When was that?"

"Yesterday."

"Do you trust this Bawa?" Carol asked, her skepticism still lingering.

"If there's enough money involved, then yes," Tabi replied. "Bawa is smart and might be interested."

"Do you know where Danalii is?" I pressed, hoping for some clue.

"No, but Malii has an idea of where they might be heading."

I paused for a moment, considering the options. I had assumed they were dead, but suddenly my initial instinct was to help them.

"Where is this camp?" I asked.

"Bawa's camp?"

"Yes."

"It's north of here, maybe one or two hours' walk for young people like you."

"Do you know if Malii managed to convince Bawa?" I inquired, hoping for a positive outcome.

"Malii was supposed to come back here first, but he hasn't. I'm concerned that things didn't go as planned," Tabi admitted.

"So you basically sent him to his death," Carol said, her voice filled with accusation.

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Tabi looked at Carol, his eyes meeting hers, and replied :

"That was the only solution I knew of, and Malii was aware of the risks. No one in the village was willing to help him. However, I doubt he will be killed outright. Enkis fetch a high price in the slave market."

"What the fuck!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my shock.

Tabi signaled for us to let him speak once more.

"Listen, Malii told me that a tall woman Revival accompanied by a smaller man might come to this village. Carol and Simon. And if I met you - thanks to my motel, it was a good plan - I had to let you know what's happening. He explained to me that you had already saved the Gem once, and the last he heard, you were heading toward the elevator. He asked me to implore your help in rescuing Danalii."

We sat in silence, processing the information. We had no idea where Danalii was. We had no clue if Malii was alive, imprisoned, or worse. The situation was a mess.

"We don't know where Danalii is, but our best bet is to find Malii," I finally said, voicing my thoughts.

"Hold on," Carol interjected. "We also need to focus on climbing floors and raising our levels. Last time we tried to help them, it ended badly. I care about Malii but we can't keep falling behind. Our goal isn't to save the fish priestess; our goal is to reach the top of the Tower."

I stared at Carol, a mix of anger and disappointment filling me. How could she think like that? She had helped during the attack, and I was almost certain she felt sadness upon hearing of Malii's death, and now she said she cares but didn't want to help? During our journey together, I had seen her change, gradually warming up to me and the world around her.

"How can you say that?" I asked, my frustration evident. "We need to help them."

"Simon, listen, I know it's a difficult situation, but the truth is, the Enkis problem is holding us back. Also, I'm almost certain this woman is the one who killed you."

Tabi looked confused, unable to understand what she meant by that. In that moment, I decided not to reply directly to Carol and instead sent her a private message :

SIMON : Let's not discuss this in front of Tabi.

CAROL : Simon, this is obviously a trap. Come on!

SIMON : Let's get out of here first, and then we'll talk.

CAROL : Ok.

"We need to think about it," I finally said, choosing not to directly address Carol's comment about a killer. "Tabi, thank you for informing us. I have one last question: how well do you know Bawa's camp?"

Tabi scratched his chin thoughtfully, his mouse-like nose twitching as if trying to catch a scent.

"Bawa's camp consists of about 20 Watoos. Bawa himself isn't much of a fighter; he's more of a thinker, though he's still quite strong - being a former fisherman and all. And he has at least two Oxanes with him."

"Oxanes?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Oxanes and Watoos share a common ancestor, but while we developed civilization and engineering, Oxanes focused on war and violence. Most Oxanes are formidable combatants with no mercy, but quite dumb. They are also much larger than your average Watoo. Although, Bawa is pretty big himself," Tabi explained.

The waiter arrived, placing the food on the table. We fell into a silent daze as each of us received a plate.

Our plates contained a variety of vegetables, similar to broccoli in appearance but of multiple different colors. In the center of the table was a large roasted flying fish that emanated an enticing aroma. Suddenly, I realized how hungry I was.

We ate our meal mostly in silence, aside from occasional remarks from Tabi about the food. As we finished, Tabi stood up and said :

"I have other matters to attend to, but remember this : what you do is up to you. I've fulfilled my promise to my friend by informing you. I understand that you may have other plans, and that's also fine. I won't stand idly by; I'll find a way to help him, with or without your assistance, even if it takes time."

He bowed slightly and left the table, leaving us sitting there in silence.

"We can't help," Carol said, turning to me, her tone firm.

"Why?" I questioned. "What's happened to you? I thought you cared."

"I do, but I also realize that we're falling behind. Remember when you said returning the Gem would be the best move? Well, it turned out to be the opposite. It set off a chain of events that have only made things worse."

"You're right, maybe. But I believe it's our responsibility. Everything that's happening to the Enkis is partly our fault."

"I thought the same, a woman Revival attacking the village is just a strange coincidence."

"It's not just that," I explained. "Remember when we returned to Green Tree, and those goblins seemed to recognize us?"

She paused for a moment, her face showing a flicker of recognition.

"I do remember that. So you think that your killer--"

"Cleo," I interjected.

"Cleo, sorry. You think Cleo attacked the village because of you? Not just for the Gem?"

"That's what I believe," I affirmed.

"Well, if that's the case, it's even more reason to consider it a trap. Why would you willingly walk into a trap?"

"Because I feel responsible."

"Maybe, but you don't know that for sure," Carol replied.

I began to understand that her hesitation wasn't solely due to a lack of willingness to help. She was also concerned. I contemplated confronting her about it, but for now, I decided against it.

"What other possibility could there be?" I asked, seeking alternative explanations.

"Well, it could simply be another Revival, unrelated to us, who wanted the Gem and saw capturing the Priestess as the best way to achieve their goal. Or perhaps they wanted to use her as a bargaining chip."

I pondered her words for a moment.

"That doesn't explain the goblins recognizing us," I pointed out.

"Maybe they had knowledge about us from the previous attack or that Revival woman saw us and warned the goblins," she suggested.

"Nah, I don't buy it. This is Cleo."

We sat in silence, contemplating our thoughts. Carol reached for another piece of the roasted flying fish, using her fingers to grasp it and then placed it into her mouth.

"Alright, I really enjoy being on a team with you, but let's consider the situation here," Carol began. "We're already behind in our levels, falling behind in reaching the top of the Tower, and now we have your killer actively trying to lure you into a trap. The best course of action is to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"I disagree," I replied, firm in my conviction. "And here's why : we need the experience points. Attacking a bandit camp is an opportunity for XP and potential loot. And if Cleo is indeed behind all this, it's better that we deal with her now. It's also crucial that we don't let her or any other Revival with bad intention get their hands on the Gem of Abzu."

Carol pondered my words, silently chewing on another piece of the roasted fish. Moments later, she pointed her finger at me.

"The problem is..." she started, then paused, reconsidering her words. "The issue is..."

She took another huge piece of fish.

"Alright, you win," she said, a smile forming on her face as she looked at me, her teeth covered with food. "But everything goes to shit, I'm keeping the Gem this time."

I smiled back at her, feeling grateful for her decision. In that moment, I realized that we were truly a team, and I considered myself fortunate to have crossed paths with her.

"We should talk to our Guide," she suddenly said.

"That's a good idea," I replied.