Only a dozen or so guards remained aboard the Holy Flame Fleet. Some had gone with the brothers Wolfor and Wolf to seize the River-Locking Chain Tower at Oldtown's docks. After all, it was the key to controlling and blocking access to the harbor.
The Holy Flame Fleet had anchored outside the Mad River Chains. Ships arrived in Oldtown in an endless stream every day, so to prevent word from leaking out, the fleet stayed outside and detained every vessel that arrived after them.
Kai had taken some of the men to plunder wealthy households disguised as bandits, while Dax and Ygr had each led the rest ashore to incite the mobs to riot.
So when House Rogare's ships approached, the guards immediately ordered the sailors to ready all the specially made ballistae aboard.
Danyla had developed these ballistae together with the craftsmen of White Sheep Town, combining memories from her previous life with the most advanced giant crossbows this world had to offer.
To bring out their full potential, Danyla had talked herself hoarse and offered the royal family considerable benefits before finally obtaining the Dragon Sinew of the Great Dragon Balerion the Black Dread.
Using that Dragon Sinew as bowstrings had indeed given the ballistae tremendous power.
Danyla had tested all the advanced giant crossbows in this world and discovered that its current technology could not produce one capable of killing an adult Great Dragon with a direct shot, except, of course, through the eye.
Perhaps the scorpions Qyburn developed two hundred years later had surpassed this world's technological limits. Or perhaps Daenerys's Great Dragons had been so easily killed by scorpions because they were still juveniles?
Moreover, Danyla's repeated tests had shown that even if such a scorpion could kill a young dragon, it could not shatter