As Alanka continued toward the West District, he came to understand more deeply than ever the wounds the holy war had inflicted on the people here-wounds that would be difficult to heal.
The streets were in chaos, firelight mingling with shouts and sobs. The flames of holy war had engulfed the entire city, and innocent civilians mingled with the mob, impossible to tell apart.
He passed through a narrow alley and saw a mob surrounding a small shop. A woman's screams came from inside.
Alanka rushed over and shouted for them to stop. As High Priest of the Earth Mother Goddess Church, he ordered the thugs to cease their atrocities, only to be met with mockery and even more brazen crimes.
"Priest, we're hungry! Do you have any food for us?"
Alanka did not. All he could do was grab his scepter and charge in, giving these thugs a loving "caress" and sending them "sweetly" off to "dreamland."
Not one of the civilians he rescued thanked him. Every last one fled the scene as quickly as they could.
When Alanka reached the vicinity of the West District and made contact with the holy army, he discovered that the situation was far more complicated than he had imagined.
Votradnoi's Garrison Regiment had become the enemy. The Third-Party Faction's intentions were unclear, but they were clearly up to no good and kept trying to seize the city gates. Meanwhile, the true targets of the holy war he had launched... the men of Prince Chris's Army had already occupied a stretch of the city wall.
What infuriated Alanka most was that hardly any of the holy army's leaders, high or low, were willing to listen to his orders and obey his will.
Left with no other choice, Alanka picked up his scepter again