KaNack kept low to the ground as he prowled towards the stony fort in the distance. According to the directions given by Legate Rikke, this was Fort Hraggstad. In order for the mages to prove themselves to Tullius, they would have to clear this structure of every single thug within it. The task sounded simple enough, but in the Argonian's experience, if something seemed too easy, odds were that there was a catch.
Reaching the outer wall of the stronghold, the reptile flattened himself against it and then turned to see how the others were faring. Brelyna looked rather nervous, but the others seemed to be biting at the bit to begin their assault on the bandits.
"Damn, it's cold," muttered a bandit that was standing guard on top of the wall. From what KaNack could see on the approach, there were at least two archer sentries watching over the land for invaders. Mages were small and their shrouds produced no sounds unlike the heavy armor worn by fighters.
Snaking along the wall, the Argonian paused when he was just outside of the large entrance that was the only means of accessing the fort. He looked back at the others.
"Okay, guys," he whispered. "This is it. Remember to stick together; I don't want anyone getting surrounded by these thugs."
"Please, J'Zargo is not afraid of a few petty thugs," the Khajiit snickered as his blue eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Let's do this already."
"Fine." KaNack hand began to glow a bright blue. "First, I'm going to provide those sentries a little entertainment." The Argonian cast the ball of energy into the center of the fort and upon impact, his flame atronach sprouted.
"What in Oblivion is that?!" one of the archers barked as he pulled an arrow from his quiver.
The atronach wasted no time in hurling ball after ball of fire at the bandits, knocking one over the wall while the other ran for cover.
"NOW!"
All five mages poured into Fort Hraggstad and were shocked to realize that the camp was much more populated than they had expected. There were at least five other bandits on the ground level and another archer positioned in a high tower. They had already made quick work of the atronach and now were making their way towards the invading casters.
"Bastards! We'll send you to Oblivion!" boomed a Redguard as he charged forward with a large steel sword gripped in his hand.
Brelas leaned into her casting position and shot a fireball directly into the chest guard of the bandit sending him flying back and causing the bandits to spread out.
"Dammit, they're mages! Be on your guards!"
"Leave none alive!" the Bosmer exclaimed as she rushed forward ready to continue the attack.
"Brelas! Stay close!" Onmund pleaded as he hurried to keep up with the bloodthirsty elf.
"Well, she's having fun," Brelyna muttered to her husband.
The reptile's brow furrowed as he looked towards the door that led into the fort. Odds were that there might be a few more bandits inside, and his friends were having enough difficulty dealing with the ones that were currently outside.
"I'm going to head into the stronghold and keep any stragglers from coming out here and overtaking us! I will try and hold them off as long as I can with my Shouts! As soon as you kill these thugs, follow me inside! I'll be waiting!"
"Got it!" Brelas called over to the reptile as she cast a wall of fire at the bandits before her. She laughed loudly as her Nordic lover scrambled to join her side. "Am I stealing all the fun, Onmund?"
"KaNack said for us to stay close!" he exclaimed shooting a blast of frostbite at the thugs as well.
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" the Bosmer giggled.
"Don't take too long!" KaNack called out to his friends as he hurried into the fort, hoping his friends would be joining him soon. Once inside the structure, the Argonian was immediately confronted by a large Nordic bandit, protected by fur armor and brandishing a large axe.
"I'm going to skin you and use your hide as a loincloth, lizard!"
A twisted smile crawled up the mage's face and his claws began to illuminate blue. "Hey, bandit. Do you like dogs?" he asked darkly.
Following the instruction left by the red and black mage, Brelyna produced her ward and stepped next to the Khajiit to provide him with a shield. "I've got you covered, J'Zargo! Do what you need to do!"
A Nord swung his sword at the feline mage, but it bounced harmlessly off the magical barrier that was being cast by the Dunmer. A fanged grin formed on the cat's face as his lightning spell finished charging up.
"You and your silly melee weapons! Face the power of the gods!" The electricity shot forward and the bandit screamed in agony as he felt like his insides were being ripped from the inside out. Brelyna dropped her ward and stood back-to-back with J'Zargo as she shot a volt of lightning at another approaching bandit.
"Archers!" Onmund barked loudly as he cast a barrier of his own up and a steel arrow bounced off it. "Wards! Everyone! Wards!"
There was still an archer on the wall and on the top of the tower; the mages could not allow their guards to be lowered for a second.
The bowmen weren't only ones that the casters had to worry about. An oversized Orc seemed dead set on smashing his large warhammer into the Nordic mage before him.
"Come on! Is that the best you can do?!" Onmund challenged as he lowered his ward to free his other hand and charged a frost spell in the other. "The snow and icy winds are nothing to a Nord! How well will you fare, Orsimer?" The destructive cast was released and the thug staggered back a few steps upon impact but seemed more stunned than injured.
"Lousy mage RUNT!" the bandit roared furiously as he rushed once more at Onmund.
Brelas' dark eyes narrowed as she was not focusing on her lover and his incoming attacker. Her attention was on the archer on the wall who had been shooting his bow at J'Zargo and Brelyna relentlessly.
"I'll take care of him!" the Bosmer shouted as she raced from the Nord's side and rushed towards the bowmen. "Hey, archer! Let me warm those cold bones of yours!" A fireball blasted from her palms and made a direct hit into the bowman sending him flying over the wall in a mass of flames. The she-elf did not have much time to relish in her victory as the next sensation she felt was a spearing pain in her shoulder. The Mer let out a loud cry of pain as she tried to scramble to an area where the archer in the tower could not see her.
"Brelas?!"
His attention was ripped from the large thug attacking him when Onmund heard the Wood Elf's scream. The Orc's hammer slammed into the mage's side and he was propelled a good fifteen feet away. The pain was horrible, but Onmund's main concern was still on his beloved elf. His blue eyes darted about until he finally spotted her. Brelas had taken shelter underneath one of the wooden stairwells and had an ugly steel arrow in her shoulder.
The Nord grunted as he felt a hand grab his ankle and start to drag him backwards.
"I'm going to smash you into so many pieces, you wouldn't even be fit to be sent to Sovngarde!" the Orsimer snarled as he released the mage and once again raised his warhammer.
Seeing Brelas in pain filled the Nord with a fury he had never experienced before. He had gotten upset and angry before, but never like this. He rolled onto his back and his icy blue eyes glared wrathfully up at the bandit standing over him.
"WAH GRAH!"
All the other mages jumped in surprise at the roaring sound that seemed to echo across the entire land. It sounded as though a hundred warriors shouted out as one.
"What was that?!" J'Zargo hissed as his claws lit up with electricity and he searched for the source of the sound. "Was that the lizard?"
"Oh, gods no! Please, don't hurt me!"
Brelyna and the Khajiit turned and were shocked at the sight before them. A huge Orc bandit was on the ground and cowering before Onmund. The Nord looked like he could barely stand and yet the Orsimer seemed terrified of him. The Nordic mage leaned back into a casting position and powerful ball of fire began to form in his hands.
"Onmund?" J'Zargo muttered before turning his eyes upward and saw that the sniper in the tower was aiming his bow directly at the Nord. Lightning shot forth from his fingers and struck the archer knocking him backwards and out of sight. The bloodcurdling scream that followed chilled the Khajiit to the core and he spun back to see that his friend had set the Orc alight and the bandit was slowly being burned to death.
"By Julianos! Onmund!" screamed Brelyna. The feline mage looked to the side and saw the Brelas had been injured and pointed the Dunmer towards her.
"Brelas has been hit! Tend to her! J'Zargo will go to Onmund!"
She and J'Zargo raced their separate ways and the cat shot a volt of lightning into the bandit granted him a merciful end to his suffering. Grasping the Nord by his robes and turning him around to face him, the mage's fur stood on end. His friend's eyes were so full of anger and showed no remorse for the suffering he had brought upon the bandit.
"Onmund?" J'Zargo whispered trying to get through to this person who seemed to have taken oven the kind and merciful mage he had befriended in Winterhold. "Onmund, are you alright?"
"They hurt her," the man growled darkly as his body shook with anger. "They tried to kill her."
"We are at war, friend," the Khajiit insisted softly as he tightened his grasp on the Nord's shrouds. "Many are going to try and kill us. We're not in the safety of the school anymore." The feline's eyes narrowed when he saw that the mage's hands began to smoke from his inner fire burning and the Khajiit began to shake Onmund violently. "Onmund! This is not you! Snap out of it!"
The caster let out a small gasp and almost immediately his eyes resumed to that of fear, innocence and confusion. He panted for breath as he reached over and grabbed J'Zargo by the shoulders.
"Brelas?"
"She'll be fine. Brelyna is tending to her. It looks bad, but it's nothing we can't fix with a little restoration magic." The two male casters turned to look over at the elves. Brelas was staring back at Onmund, looking slightly unnerved at what had taken place. Onmund had always been so kind and happy and never went out of his way to make anyone afraid or suffer. What the Bosmer saw the man become was not the caster she had fallen in love with; it was an uncaring and ruthless Nordic warrior.
Onmund pulled away from the Khajiit and hurried over to his lover and dropped to his knees in front of her.
"Brelas, thank Julianos that you're all right."
"Onmund, what happened to you?" the Wood Elf muttered as she leaned away from him slightly. "What you did back there was nothing short of inhumane."
"What?" the Nord gulped. "I don't know what happened. One minute I saw you get hit by an arrow and then everything just seemed to be a blur. I wasn't really sure of what was going on until J'Zargo shook me from my trance." He reached forward and gently took the elf's hand in his. "Whatever you saw back there, Brelas. It's gone. It's just me now."
The Bosmer squealed in pain and glared over at her friend who was placing the freshly removed arrow on the ground.
"That hurt! How about some warning next time?"
"If I told you what I was about to do you would have flinched and made it hurt even worse," the Dunmer insisted as she placed a hand on Brelas' shoulder and it began to glow a golden color as the restoration spell began to take effect.
Onmund grunted in pain as he retrieved a healing potion from his satchel and began to drink it to help lessen the pain in his side from the warhammer's blow. He spat some of it out when he felt a clawed hand slap in on the back.
"You're a Dragonborn like the lizard!" the Khajiit exclaimed as he dropped down next to his friend with a maniacal grin on his face "You're Dovahkiin! Why didn't you tell any of us?"
"What?" hissed Onmund as he raised an eyebrow, confused by the feline's claim.
"Yes, you Shouted at the bandit and it affected him!" stated Brelas. "Only the Dragonborn or people with years of training can Shout, and I KNOW you haven't been training with the Greybeards!"
A realization hit Onmund and he fell back onto the ground in a sitting position and grabbed a hold of his head, shocked at himself. "It couldn't be," he muttered. "I'm not a warrior, I couldn't have done that." His blue eyes looked up and met those of his friends and he could see that they were all filled with questions. "I'm not a Dragonborn," the mage insisted as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees.
"Then what was that, Onmund?" Brelyna asked as she stopped casting her healing on the Wood Elf and stared intently at the Nord. "We can't just ignore the fact that you obviously Shouted."
"I did and I didn't," the mage answered. "Deep within every Nord is the spirit of Shor and with it the realm of Sovngarde. It is believed that all sons of Skyrim possess this ability, but it often only the strongest and most fearless barbarians who can wield this power." His head looked upward towards the sky as he tried to come to terms with what he had accomplished. "It was the battle cry of the Nordic Warriors. What you heard was the voice of every soul that resides within Shor's realm of the dead."
"Well, that explains why it sounded so loud to J'Zargo. There are quite a few souls in Sovngarde, yes?"
"More than you can possibly fathom," Onmund said quietly. "The battle cry is supposed to drive fear into the hearts of your enemies; but it is not something that can be done on a whim. One must both be a true warrior at heart and spend years trying to embrace their connection with Shor, or…" The mage looked away and seemed almost ashamed at what he had done.
"Or?" asked Brelas.
"Be so overcome with fury that the true barbarian within gets released which gives one the ability to use that power." He pulled his hood back and grasped at his brown hair. "I'm a mage, but obviously there is some part of me that is trying to embrace my ancestry. Judging by the way you all looked at me, I can't imagine that what I became was someone you would want to consider a friend."
"Onmund," Brelyna said gently. "We all possess racial gifts. I can produce a cloak of fire, Brelas has the ability to charm wild animals and J'Zargo here can see in the dark even when there is not the slightest hint of light. None of us are ashamed of our powers."
"None of yours turns you into a merciless barbarian," the Nord stated bitterly. "By the will of Julianos, I pray that I never allow myself to succumb to anger like that again."
"Well, J'Zargo is relieved to see that you did not snap on us, friend." He punched the Nord playfully in the shoulder. The Khajiit turned back to the elves. "Brelas, how are you feeling?"
"Great! Let's go fight some more!" the Bosmer insisted as she started to get up, only to be pulled back down by her friend.
"The muscles in your arm are going to be stiff for the next thirty minutes because of how deep the wound was! You're in no position to be fighting in such closed quarters, Brelas." The Dark Elf turned back to the Nord and Khajiit. "You two head inside and help my husband, I'll look after Brelas."
"Stop babying me! I still got one good arm to cast fire with!"
"Feisty and stubborn as always," J'Zargo chuckled. "Onmund, talk some sense into her."
"Yeah, I'm not really good at telling Brelas what to do," the caster muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. A satisfied smirk crawled up the Bosmer's face; it was fairly obvious who the dominant one in their relationship was.
"Leave the stubborn Mer to me, J'Zargo! Now hurry! I don't know how well KaNack is handling himself in there and he's going to need you two!"
J'Zargo's whiskers twitched with anticipation as he helped pull the Nord to his feet.
"Come on, friend! We cannot let the lizard have all the fun inside the fort, can we? I'm sure there are also plenty of spoils to have once we rid it of bandits."
"Isn't looting a crime?" Brelyna called after the two as they hurried towards the fort's entrance.
"Only if you get caught!" the Khajiit yelled back, a smile plastered on his face.
Two more bandits seemed to emerge from the woodworks and came charging through the small entrance. KaNack's spectral wolf, Fang, latched his teeth into the calf of one of them as the other drew his sword and ran towards the exhausted Argonian.
"How many more of you are down there?!" he snarled angrily. "FUS!"
The bandit was hurled back from the force of the Shout and crashed into the stone wall. KaNack had used up most of his magicka trying to keep the remaining bandits from leaving the stronghold and it had not been easy. As soon as one fell, another appeared. He had already dealt with five and these two made seven.
The thug got up and shot the Dragonborn a dark look as he staggered to his feet. "You haven't even faced our boss yet, lizard! Let me kill you now and save you the painful death he will deliver to you!" The bandit's eyes widened when the door behind KaNack opened and two more mages entered the fort. "You can't be serious. There are MORE of you?!"
"J'Zargo will kill more bandits than the Dragonborn," the Khajiit chuckled as his claws began to spark with electricity.
"I'm already up to six if you count the ones taken by my conjurations. You got a long way to go, Whiskers," the reptile snickered, relieved that Onmund and J'Zargo were now there to provide extra support. The thug was quickly dropped once the feline struck him with a powerful casting of lightning.
Onmund shot a spear of ice at the foe that attempting to fight off the Argonian's familiar. Fang's ears perked up in surprise when the bandit was ripped from his jaws and vanished down the stairs. The Nord grinned and patted the worn out reptile on the back.
"What took you so long?" KaNack grumbled as he rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
"We were kind of busy ourselves. You missed much excitement, Lizard Wizard. Onmund snapped," the Khajiit explained.
"You snapped?" the mage chuckled as he smirked over at the annoyed caster. "That is a story you have to indulge me with once we're through here." The Dovahkiin stood up and let out a loud sigh as he felt his magicka start to replenish. "Where are our lovely elves?"
"An archer shot Brelas," Onmund mumbled miserably. "She's going to recover, but for now she can't cast properly and Brelyna doesn't want to leave her alone. It's just us."
"Are there any others?" J'Zargo asked as he started towards the stairs to peer down. His grey and black spotted tail swished anxiously.
"Let me see." The Argonian made his way over to the Khajiit and sucked in a deep breath. "LAAS YAH!"
If there was any other beings present in Fort Hraggstad, KaNack was going to know about it. The Argonian was relieved when all he saw was a single red silhouette wandering about in the lower chambers of the fort.
"Just one. The bandits spoke about their boss, that must be who that is," hissed KaNack as he started down the stairs. He grunted as he felt a clawed hand grab his shoulder.
"You have been fighting solo for a bit, take a seat on the steps. Let Onmund and J'Zargo handle this little bandit chief," the feline insisted as he pulled himself ahead of the Argonian and started down the stairwell. "Come along, my Nordic friend. Let's give our scaly caster a chance to rest up."
"Umm, shouldn't we be staying together?" the Nord asked as he followed after the Khajiit and was slightly unnerved that KaNack did not seem to be following after them.
"Oh, I'll stay in the back," the reptile said as he started to walk behind the mages with his wolf trotting alongside. "I'd like to see just how well you two handle yourselves." A wicked smile crossed his face. "After all, it's one bandit chief and the two of you. Just say the word and I'll step in."
"We are not afraid," snorted the cat as he flattened himself against the wall.
Onmund muttered something under his breath as he followed suit. He was comforted in the knowledge that the Argonian was still with them, but he had known both of the mages long enough to realize that KaNack would not step in unless either it looked like someone was going to get killed or if J'Zargo swallowed his pride and asked for assistance.
J'Zargo eyes narrowed to slits as he continued to slink along the wet stone walls of the stronghold until he came upon a halfway open door. Peering inside, the furry mage was slightly nervous from what he saw. He had no idea what the race of the huge bandit chief was, as he was layered in strong looking heavy armor. Resting against the wall, an arm's length away was a large iron shield and sheathed on the enemy's person was a deadly looking war axe.
"Do you see him?" Onmund whispered as he tried to look over his friend's shoulder.
"Yes. He…he does not look so tough," the mage stated as his ears flattened on his head. J'Zargo's hands began to crackle with sparks which caused the chief to snatch up his shield and pull out his axe. "Uhh, he heard J'Zargo."
"Brilliant," muttered the Nord as he took a few cautious steps back and his hands began to steam from the frost spell he was charging up.
"Who's there?" the chief growled as he started towards the door. "Ataf? Lorm? Is that you? Did you kill those damn intruders yet? I don't hear any more fighting!"
"Yeah!" KaNack called out to the chief with a grin. "They're all dead! Come out here and celebrate with us with some luscious maidens!"
Onmund spun around and stared at the Argonian in shock and turned back when he heard the frantic yowl of J'Zargo. The Khajiit shot his sparks at the bandit chief but were blocked by the foe's shield. The man growled loudly as he charged forward and pushed the feline back with his shield and slammed him hard into the stone wall producing another painful screech from the feline.
"J'Zargo!" Onmund finished charging his attack and cast a whirlwind of ice storm at the armored bandit. The chief grunted and pulled away from J'Zargo, allowing the dazed mage to slide down to the floor. The prowl was made slower as he was under the effect of the Nord's frost spell, but the chief still raised his weapon and lurched towards the mage.
"You mages are so stupid and weak! You think a little cold is going to hurt me?"
"Dammit! He's a Nord!" Onmund exclaimed as he backtracked and started to charge up a fire attack in place of his preferred method of destruction casting. The bandit lunged at the caster and the smaller man dove out of the way of the dangerous swing.
"Runt! Magic is useless here!" the armored man shouted angrily. "Show some backbone and fight me like true son of Skyrim!"
"Runt? Are you going to let him talk to you like that, Onmund?" laughed the Dragonborn as he continued to watch from the sidelines, greatly amused at the sight before him. He could tell the difference in when his friends' lives were in terrible danger and when they were just scrambling to try and make ends meet. Right now, they were scrambling.
"J'Zargo! Will you ask him to help us already?!" the mage shouted as he shot a fireball at the bandit chief who blocked it with his heavy shield.
"This…this is a minor setback," the cat coughed out as he staggered to his feet and gripped onto the larger mage to remain stable. "This foe is not so tough! We know frost spells are useless, so let's use something else." The Khajiit's hand began to glow a bright red. "You aren't the only one who can induce fear into people."
J'Zargo cast the spell forward and the Nord raised his shield blocking most of the spells effects, but bits of it still struck into the chief causing him to glow red for a few moments.
"Hah! You have been hit by J'Zargo!" The feline caster stepped away from Onmund and began to approach the bandit chief with confidence. "That is a fear spell, my friend! Tremble before J'Zargo the Terrifying!"
The chief lowered his defenses and from under the helmet appeared to be staring at the cat in confusion.
"What did you cast on me?"
The smile vanished from J'Zargo. "You…you are not afraid of J'Zargo?"
"I am a little unnerved by your sharp teeth, but not enough to go running."
"Hey, J'Zargo the Terrifying!" KaNack barked over at the feline. "He blocked most of the cast with his shield! The spell's too weak to have any real effect on him!"
The cat's ears folded back and his eyes widened in shock as he stared at the furious Nord before him. Onmund leaned into his casting position and electricity began to crackle in his hands.
"J'Zargo! Get down!"
The Khajiit dropped to a knee and the Nordic mage propelled propelled a cast of lightning and it crashed into the bandit chief causing him to cry in pain and leap back. The feline rammed his shoulder into the man's knees and the heavy weight of the armor caused the leader to topple backwards and crashed hard onto the floor.
"Onmund! Together!" the cat shouted as he began to charge a cast of chain lightning of his own. Rushing to join his friend's side, the mage began to summon the spell as well. In unison, the two drove their lightning spells onto the man's helmet and the crack of thunder echoed through the halls of the chamber.
The two mages leaned forward as they peered at the unmoving form of the bandit chief before them. There was smoke rising from the eye holes in the helmet, but they had no real way of telling if the fight was over yet or not.
"Is he dead?" Onmund asked as he bravely moved closer to the still Nord's head. There was a crack and the bandit chief illuminated blue for a moment before starting to sit up. J'Zargo screeched and wrapped his arms around the equally shocked Nordic mage as the chief stood up and seemed to lumber about.
"By the Eight! You should have seen the looks on your faces!" KaNack howled as he slapped at his knee. "You two act like you've never seen raise zombie before!"
"That spell is NOT taught in Winterhold!" Onmund snarled as he pushed J'Zargo off and got to his feet and approached the Dragonborn furiously. "Necromancy is a form of forbidden magic, KaNack! You know that!"
"If it's so forbidden, how come Phinis taught it to me?" the Argonian asked with a smirk. He gazed over to his newly raised zombie as it grunted swayed dumbly from side to side. "You'd be surprised just how many of our teachers have dipped their hands in the pool of the forbidden arts, Onmund."
KaNack grunted as the Nord grabbed him by his shroud and pulled him forward to glower at him.
"Don't you ever cast something like that in my presence ever again, KaNack," he warned the reptile in a dark tone. "This kind of magic is illegal for a reason. If I see you use it once more, I will have you turned in to the proper authorities. Do you understand me?"
"Well, look who's a tough guy all of a sudden?" the Argonian hissed as he returned mage's dangerous look and shoved him away. "I'm not hurting anyone, Onmund. It was just a bandit."
"He was also a living person and you have no right to desecrate his body like that!" the mage hollered. The caster spun around and shot a fireball at the zombie causing it to vanish into a pile of dust. "It's illegal because it's disrespectful and cruel, KaNack. So don't kid yourself by saying you're not hurting anyone. The man was a fellow Nord, at least allow him to have some dignity after his death," he muttered as he continued to tremble in abhorrence and anger.
KaNack grimaced and rubbed at the back of his neck as he felt an overwhelming sense of shame come over him. Onmund was proud to be a mage and took the rules relating to the use and castings of spells very seriously. Necromancers were abhorred and treated as criminals for their active use of the black arts. The Argonian should have known better than to cast such a loathsome spell in front of his friends.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would upset you so much." The Dovahkiin made his way over to the upset caster and rested a hand on his shoulder. "This is the last time I ever cast it. I swear."
"Fine. Let's just put this ugly matter behind us," the Nord grumbled as he moved away from the reptile to stand alongside J'Zargo.
"What now?" the Khajiit asked. "All the bandits are dead. Should we head back to Solitude?"
"I think we're all a little tired and have earned some much needed rest," the Dragonborn insisted as he started up the stairs. "Let's get our horses and sleep here for the night. I'm too exhausted to even think about traveling right now."
The Nord and Khajiit trailed after KaNack. As the adrenaline from the fight began to wear off, the two were suddenly aware of how weary they were as well.
"That was so hard and they were merely bandits," Onmund sighed as he rested his hand along the stone wall for support. "How are we going to fare when we're facing an entire wave of Stormcloak soldiers?"
"We will have other Imperial soldiers with us to help us in the fight," KaNack stated as he reached for the door. "We won't have to worry about running out of magicka because we will have other soldiers with us to watch our backs." He looked back at the other two casters with a smile. "Besides, we'll only get stronger and more experienced each time we are thrown into battle. Don't worry, Onmund. We're all going to be just fine."
"How can you be so sure?" J'Zargo muttered as he crossed his arms. "What makes you such an expert in the art of war?"
"I've faced unexpected odds before and conquered them, J'Zargo," the Argonian growled as he got a dark look in his eye. "I know what it feels like to be outnumbered and seemingly outmatched, but you know what got me through it all?"
"The power of the Dragonborn?" the Nord asked as he joined KaNack's side.
The reptile smiled and shook his head sadly. "No, I got through it because I didn't have to face it alone. We're going to be fine, because we're going to have each other." He wrapped an arm around the larger mage's shoulder and gleamed at him. "Do you believe me when I say that there is not one of us who wouldn't do anything to keep the others safe?"
"Yes," was the simple answer.
"Exactly. Don't let how hard this fight was get to you. You're a lot tougher and smarter than the men we're going up against. Trust me; we're going to be okay. So long as we're together, none of us will fall. So long as we stand side-by-side, nothing will ever be able to defeat us. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, I do," the Nord answered again quietly.
"Good."
"Enough talk!" snapped J'Zargo as he pushed his way to the front and opened the door. "Let's get the girls and our horses. J'Zargo can smell that the bandits were cooking something and I'm starving!"
"Nothing fazes that cat at all, does it?" the Argonian grumbled as he watched the Khajiit hurry over to the elves. The furry mage pointed at the gates and told Brelas and Brelyna to hurry up and help him gather the mounts.
"No. If he allowed everything to get to him he wouldn't be J'Zargo, now would he?"
"Yeah, guess you're right."