Lock started out with a good pace, just enough to allow the lake monster to play, but far enough to stay out of its reach. He saw Lillith in the corner of his eye, before a slew of bubbles burst in a straight trail beside him. He stopped suddenly as something gripped his tail and pulled him back.

He saw Lillith ahead just close enough to blow him a kiss. He glowered at her, but struggled to free himself from the lake monster's grasp as his girlfriend turned to continue on her way to the shore. More tentacles gripped his arms and legs and pulled him back. It took Lock a moment or two to free himself before he headed back to the surface. As he resurfaced, he saw Lillith's nude form in the distance casually stepping from the lake and onto the shore.

Lock swam as fast as he could to get to join her. The lake monster remained in pursuit. The best he could do was keep his limbs - and especially his tail - out of its reach. With some careful maneuvering, he evaded its grasp. As he reached shallower waters, the lake monster pulled back, knowing its limit before it became beached. Lock found a sandbar and managed to stand with his head above the water. He gave the nearest tentacle a gentle pet to show the lake monster his thanks for the game, then carefully walked to the shore.

"If you were [i]trying[/i] to tire me out," he said, "it didn't work."

Lock gave her a playful smirk.

"But if you're going to test my resilience..."