Their time at the Veuda lake colony was pleasant, but alas could not be forever. They would sooner or later have to move on. After the two sale monsters left, Salazar sat for a few minutes to let the paint on his chest dry. Groundy was trying to coax Salazar out of doing this.
"Salazar, shouldn't we be going?" she asked. "Your brother could be miles ahead of us by now." Salazar started to get up. Looking at the huge S reminded him of being a Marmera, and it caused him to lose track of his mind. "Sorry," he said. "You are right. Let us go."
Salazar and Groundy walked all the way to the end of town to where the lake was. Sure enough, there was a boat shack with an Earthurial standing there. Salazar started toward the Earthurial. "Ummm, yes? Hello there," the Earthurial asked. Salazar got closer. "Yes? Are you selling boats?" The Earthurial scratched its head. "Umm, yes. Very much so." Salazar neared the boats and smiled. "Good. We need a boat to cross the Veuda lake with. Could we buy one?" The Earthurial shrugged. "Eh, you can take one if you want. I don't have any business as a boat salesman. No one buys boats anymore. Not after the lake monster appeared."
Salazar blinked. "Did... Did you say... Lake monster?" Salazar looked at Groundy. Groundy seemed equally miffed by it. "Nevermind, Groundy," Salazar said. Maybe being a Pash isn't too bad. After all, maybe I'm not looking for friends hard enough. I've already found you, Groundy. Maybe I could find more to grow up with." Groundy looked out to see and tensed up. "No. I'm not giving up on you, Salazar." This shocked Salazar. "What!? ...But we could get killed. And we're dealing with water here. Pash cannot swim, and I don't think Grounderls can, either. Is it really worth it?" Groundy shook her head. "I made a promise that I would see you through this adventure. I am not going back on it." Salazar was still unsure. "But your parents. What if something DOES happen to us? What will they think?" That's when Groundy had second thoughts about it. It was true her parents would probably be worried about her. ...But then again, she also worried that Adrian and his friends were already ahead on them. "We made it through the Shiftevils thanks to your abilities, Salazar. I helped you every step of the way. And I will help you every step of the way." Salazar smiled. "Okay... I trust in you Groundy."
The two then went over to the boat rack and grabbed the lightest boat they could before setting it into the water. Salazar didn't like to admit it, but he was terrified. All Salazar had left in his family was his brother, but Groundy still had her parents. Salazar started to show a lot of consideration for Groundy. "I will do what I can to protect you," Salazar said to Groundy as he got in the boat. Groundy got in afterward. Before they set off, Salazar held out the baguette that was being held by his tail over to Groundy.
"Here, you really should eat to your strength," Salazar said. Once again, Groundy turned it down. "I'm fine. Let's just get across the lake." Salazar continued to hold onto the baguette with his tail before beginning to row with his hands. Groundy did the same. That's when something came to Salazar's mind. "Wait a minute. ...What if Adrian's already dead or retreated? What will that mean for us?" Groundy shook her head. "I'm assuming that would mean our mission would be easier." Salazar breathed in, then outward. "I hope he just retreated back home," he said. Groundy didn't really believe what Salazar just said.
"But he's evil, isn't he? Why do you care for him, even if he is your brother?" Groundy asked. Salazar shook his head. "I feel if my brother got a true taste of glory, he might not be so rotten. And he's not evil, he's just driven by jeleousy. I feel there is still some good in him. I just wish I could find it."
About half an hour on the lake they had made it three fifths of the way to the shore. No lake monster in sight. But then, Salazar started to feel a vibration. "Groundy, please don't rock the boat," he said. But Groundy was just rowing a long. "I'm not shaking the boat," she said. Salazar then looked down in the water. He could see a huge shadow in the water. "No... the lake monster."
And eventually, a huge blue creature raised from the water. It was a huge, cold lizard with a beak like mouth. At first all it did was stare at the two in their boat, but it eventually neared it's head. And that's when Salazar got freaked out. "ROOOOOOOW!!!" he yelled before paddling really hard to move the boat around the monster. Groundy did the same.
"That was *huff* an Icerimist," Groundy stated as she was rowing. The Icerimist was on their end, and started to charge up an attack. It eventually shot a beam of ice from it's mouth that fired near the boat. "AAARRG! ICE! I HATE COLD!" Groundy yelled. Salazar just kept rowing, but still kept a fear for Groundy. Pash were not very annoyed by cold, although Marmera are a bit sensetive because of their cold-blooded dragon DNA. But Grounderls were particularly sensetive to it. "Please *huff* stay calm," Salazar started. "Just *huff* keep *huff* rowing!"
The harder they rowed, the more their arms tired, and it almost seemed inevitable to keep rowing. Especially after the Icerimist started to create some waves in the water. This rocked the two hopeless heros about. Eventually, they started to hug each other out of fear.
"Groundy! I'm sorry I got you into this! I just wanted to be normal again!" Groundy started to close her eyes. "Salazar, I'm sorry I insisted on this journey!" Eventually, the Icerimist jumped out of the water towards the two in the boat, causing a tsunami that sent them far. The two eventually screamed their heads off as they were sent flying. Farther and farther out of the lake, till they finally got to land. The two tumbled into the sand for about 20 seconds before they stopped to breathe.
"We... We're alive," Salazar said, short of breath. "We... We did it," Groundy commented. They looked at each others eyes, still breathing heavily. They eventually smiled and started to laugh with each other. It almost seemed histerical, their near death experience, that they just felt the need to break out in a fit. The two then proceeded to hold claws with each other. They were so glad to be alive and in one piece. But they still had a long way to go before the quest was realized.


Groundy and Icerimist belong to  Burgundy-Maroon2012