Lyncis nearly lunged forward at the sight that met her eyes. Viers was slumped against the back of the table, her legs outstretched, breathing shallowly. She had some deep wounds here and there, although none which appeared fatal at first glance. Next to her, lying on the floor, was a figure covered in his cloak, apparently Lougias. Lyncis could hear breathing from him too, even, but somewhat raspy.
Although her instinct was to immediately check on her mercenaries, Lyncis knew that if something had caused them to be in such a desperate situation, there was a chance it was still around. However, after a few minutes of observation, Lyncis could not discover anything that would prove an immediate danger, so she stepped over to Viers' side and shook her.
"...Boss," Viers mumbled as her eyes cracked open and tried to focus. "Sorry...I was...too late..."
"What happened?" Lyncis asked sharply, knowing she could not afford to be gentle or comforting. Right now, the only way she was going to be able to save them was information. Viers blinked and attempted to think clearly.
"We split up...Reckhart and Duvorn took one bank of the river, Lougias and me took the other..." Viers frowned, concentrating on giving a concise account. "We were attacked by some strange creatures...both groups. Before me and Lougias could get across the river...Reckhart and Duvorn got stuck here. There wasn't time to call for help...after two days of running, we were pushed back across the river and into the village...but when we got here..." Viers trailed off as her face contorted in agony.
"What?" Lyncis prodded.
"They were already asleep," Viers gasped out. "Black runes everywhere...we didn't know...we couldn't get out...we couldn't save them...it was too late...they changed..." Viers eyes moved to Lougias, then teared before they closed and her breathing became deeper.
"Viers!" Lyncis shook her again, then froze. Climbing up Viers' neck were black runes. The Quietus! But if that's what happened to the refugees, and Reckhart, and Duvorn, then where were they?
Lyncis stepped past the unconscious Viers to check on Lougias, whose form was hidden by his cloak. Reaching out, Lyncis rolled him over, wanting to see if he too had succumbed to the black runes of the Quietus.