As Eadwig and Hilda escaped into the industrial smog, Thane Beorhtwulf was currently fighting a losing battle, defying King Aethelwulf's merger with every ounce of his feudal pride.
However, the longer he defended the Guildhall, the more of his men were "downsized" by the West Saxon axes.
Corpses had begun to stack within the main corridor of the Guildhall, their blood flowing onto the polished stone floors like spilt ink.
With every loss, Beorhtwulf and his contractors found themselves closer to bankruptcy.
The young Thane desperately swung his Directorate-made axe at one of Aethelwulf's huscarls, but he immediately felt a blunt object slam into the back of his helmet.
When he finally regained consciousness, Beorhtwulf found himself sitting in the Great Hall, bound and gagged among the surviving Guildmasters.
Due to the concussion rattling his skull, he did not initially realize that Eadwig was missing from the group.
