… Harbour Guards, huh?


    [The Worm God’s Hasharana work closely with the Harbour Imperators to defend the Deepwater Legion Front, so, considering the fact that Harbour Guards are a subsidiary faction of the Harbour Imperators, these men are technically subordinates of the Hasharana,] [Please refrain from trying to order them around, though. As things stand, you are neither a registered Hasharana nor somebody capable of rounding up this sozzled bunch.]


    You don’t think they could be lying about their story? I’d like to trust them, too, but… how’s it possible that they’re all still alive here? Ain’t it already a miracle that I survived?


    [For what it is worth, their story aligns with your sailing experience,] [Ten days ago, they were simply sailing from the mainland’s shoreline to the Whirlpool City when they noticed the rain clouds and the fog. Since they were on a patrol round, they sailed in to investigate, found barnacles stuck to their hull, and when they tried to cut them off, the giant remipede attacked—this and that happened, blah blah blah, and they ended up here just like you. It is a reasonable story.]


    And I’m sure they tried to fight back against the giant remipede with so many arms. They’re Harbour Guards with actual firepower, after all.


    [Well, they are no common mercenary band, but I am certain all of their cannonballs bounced off the giant remipede’s chitin like rubber balls nevertheless.]


    But if even the Harbour Guards couldn’t get rid of the remipede, then what chance do I have?


    [Well, the Harbour Guards are no Harbour Imperators, either,] [It is fortunate they are here with you. Sooner or later, the rest of the Harbour Guards in the Whirlpool City will realise they are late to return from their patrol and send Harbour Imperators out here to investigate. If all of you can simply hold out inside the giant remipede until that happens–]


    Are the Harbour Imperators strong enough to rescue us?


    [... On second thought, the Harbour Imperators are unlikely to bother with matters outside the city,] [They are almost permanently entrenched within the city to deal with the whirlpool. Even if the rest of the Harbour Guards realise these men are missing, it is unlikely they will do anything about it. I do not believe help will be arriving.]


    What could be more important than saving forty men? Forty! That’s–


    [It is largely irrelevant to you and your upbringing in a small desert town, but you forget that here, further out into the great blue, humanity is waging a losing war against the Swarm,] [In most cases, launching a rescue operation deep within Swarm territory is a massive waste of time and resources. Even a Hasharana is not worth rescuing if they are stranded in the middle of a Swarm nest, surrounded on all sides—it is better to let them die a martyr than to weaken the defences of an important fortified outpost.]


    But a Hasharana wouldn’t leave anyone behind, would they?


    [... The Harbour Imperators and the Harbour Guards are not Hasharana,] [Whatever the case, expect no outside assistance. What is here is what you will have to work with–]


    was


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    should


    this


    [You will be fine, Marisol,] [As with all Harbour Guards, their insect classes are sokolova ants. You might as well sit down and share another drink with them.]


    And what the hell’s a sokolova ant–


    bent


    definitely


    [... Sokolova ants are known to nest in marine zones, and they are very capable of surviving massive tidal waves,] [They have laminate spines across their entire body, which, in their case, functions almost identically to your Hydrofuge Spines. One sokolova ant cannot readily survive tidal inundations, but when there are forty of them gathered together like this, the water-repelling effect of their laminate spines is ‘amplified’—they can vibrate their spines in sync to create a water-repelling bubble like this.]


    You don’t say.


    [With them here, you can rest assured the wave of water itself would not pose any troubles. However, the bigger problem remains–]


    Of course


    some


    [But what are you going to do, Marisol Vellamira?]


    … When I was a kid, I used to practise sand-dancing at night so nobody could see me fail, I’m sure I told you this before. In the morning, I must be graceful, and I must be perfect, but at night? I can fall and hurt myself as many times as I want.


    And part of being a Sand-Dancer is being unbreakable.


    We dance from dawn till dusk, then dusk till dawn, that’s the least a Sand-Dancer needs to be able to do.


    How many points do I have again?


    [Forty-five.]


    Hah.


    And how much more can I get before the next wave hits?


    [… I spied several crabs skittering about the nearby wreckage,] [Catch them, eat them, and you can probably get at least five points within twenty-five minutes.]


    Good.


    I have an idea.