Although Vice Admiral Marlow had been on the docks when the bombardment began, his orders were swiftly relayed. Naval military police rushed to the Sea Lion and forcibly stopped the players who were still excitedly loading its guns. The barrels had yet to cool, but at least the subsequent attacks had been halted.
The damage, however, could no longer be undone.
The elven magic warship called the Mirror Moon had suffered devastating damage in the sudden, fierce bombardment. Its hull listed badly, thick smoke billowed from it, and the surviving sailors struggled to save the ship and their companions in the water. Desperate cries for help in Elvish echoed across the sea.
Mooncrown City reacted fiercely the moment the incident occurred. Protests and demands for answers flooded toward the First Fleet's flagship, the Sea Lion, through magical communications and messengers.
A high-ranking elven envoy, making no attempt to conceal his anger, came straight to the First Fleet's command post on the docks and demanded that Marlow explain himself immediately and severely punish the culprits.
At first, Vice Admiral Marlow's head throbbed. He was filled with frustration and helpless anger at those lawless King's Guards for causing trouble yet again.
He forced down his temper and prepared to do what he always did: placate the elves-or fob them off-and find a way to settle the matter.
But when the adjutant he had sent to investigate aboard the Sea Lion hurried back and gave a detailed account of the players' "reason" for firing-they had recognized the Mirror Moon, a ship with which they had a blood feud, and wanted revenge for the King's Guards it had tortured and killed-Vice Admiral Marlow's expression changed instantly.
His helpless frustration vanished like mist swept away by a gale, replaced by anger as cold and unyielding