The anticipated great battle did not erupt.
Just after Duncan defeated Prince Esk, who was besieging Southampton, somehow the enemy troops at Portchester Castle received the news. Even though the two locations are just a county apart, before Duncan could lead his army over, the many Saxon chieftains, after some discussion, immediately lifted the siege and retreated homeward.
However, there were still some battle accomplishments.
Severus noticed the enemy's panicked withdrawal and immediately guessed that Duncan had returned.
Thus, he joined forces with Galavin's Barbarian foreign legion, and during the enemy's retreat, they took the initiative to attack, killing a minor Barbarian chieftain and crushing a force of one to two thousand. If it weren't for the big disparity in strength, they might have returned with a decisive victory.
Duncan also did not continue the pursuit but instead stabilized the defensive line, waiting for his main forces to return.
