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Eliya led the way for the assassins. There were seven of them in total, and Illumus took the tail. At the redheaded assassin's signal, they dispersed to do their job. All were trained, all knew what to do. The idea was to remain unseen by any of the former Crimson Scars until it was too late for them. The fact that they were hunting down heretics of Sithis, as well as former assassins left Eliya with mixed feelings. She would have no problem killing the targets in cold blood, she wouldn't even hesitate. However these were not dumb bandits they were sent to eliminate, no they were trained killers. Eliya hoped every one of the seven she'd brought would be able to return safely to the Sanctuary, but in the pit of her stomach she knew this would be an unlikely outcome. She was the leader on this mission and she would be responsible for any who didn't make it. Details didn't matter to her superiors, results did. In the back of her mind, Eliya knew that those who had sent her on this mission didn't care about the deaths of the assassins, they just cared that the job was successful.

As the assassins dispersed, Eliya motioned for Illumus to stay with her. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but it would be good to keep an eye on him. The memory of their last mission together was still relatively fresh in the Altmer's mind, and she didn't want any mistakes this time around. Short of doing everything herself, her next bet was to monitor things. That meant keeping Illumus close. "We'll go after Torval and his right hand Ilsa. The other assassins should be able to take out anyone else. They have instructions to join us when they are finished." When she got confirmation from the dark young man she quickly began moving, climbing up more stairs to get to where the bandit leader was hiding. If all went well, her five other assassins would cut down any and all Crimson Scars not killed by the Fighter's Guild associates. Even now Eliya could distinctly here the sounds of battle from the main gates. The Fighter's Guild was doing a great job -- they'd drawn all attention to the front gates leaving only a skeleton crew behind to guard the Bandit leader and his second in command. Little did they know they were helping the Dark Brotherhood.....

It was as if Illumus knew the thoughts going through Eliya's mind, but no, that was impossible. Apparently the young man was more perceptive then the redheaded woman gave him credit for. At the same time however, his words and behavior in response to the decision showed a level of maturity and willingness. This pleased Eliya. They made their way cautiously up the stairs to the next level of the fort and paused. The mage assassin cast a life detect spell so she could see around the corner without risking her head. Sure enough, there was one sentry guarding the door to their destination. Just one guard. The diversion of the Fighter's Guild was working better then Eliya could have hoped for. Her life detection spell also showed four individuals inside the room. Likely their two targets and two additional sentries.

She paused as Illumus whispered into her ear. "If they are trained like us... to be assassins... wouldn't they see this sneak attack coming? Think about it, a bunch of loud men break down your front door, a perfect distraction for a quieter group to sneak in. I don't think it will be as easy as sneaking in, killing them then leaving."

Eliya whispered back. "One must keep in mind that these are former Crimson Scars, they will be arrogant and overconfident, THAT will be their downfall, and why they will not expect a surprise attack from within while their main forces are fighting the main gates." Illumus' concerns were valid and he brought up a good point, but according to Eliya's sources, the former assassins knew nothing of the secret entrance into the fort.

Illumus didn't seem to have much to say after that, and he moved forward quietly, glancing briefly around the corner. Eliya wasn't sure if he saw the sentry or not, it was possible the guard had walked off momentarily. She couldn't be sure without casting another life detect spell and she didn't want to waste her mana. Illumus readied his bow however and notched an arrow, so perhaps the sentry was still there. This was an important taken down, if done silently they would have the advantage of surprise, which they really needed. It was time to give Illumus a test. She motioned for him to take out the guard silently. Once the sentry was taken out, the two of them could open the door to the inner room and kill the four people within. Eliya held her breath as she waited.

Eliya was surprised at the swiftness in which Illumus moved. Even as the arrow released from the quiver he was already lunging toward the sentry to catch him and lower him quietly to the ground. The secondary gesture had such finesse that it caught the female assassin off guard, though she quickly recovered before the young man could see anything evident on her face except a nod of approval. She decided he deserved a compliment. "I see you have learned much since our last mission." Eliya had no idea who had taken him under their wing since she'd seen him last. Could be Ocheeva or anyone else. Really it didn't matter. Results were what mattered. She nodded again at his suggestion. It was actually a rather clever idea, and akin to where the mission had originally started; with the assassins taking out the Hammerfell contingent and disguising as them to converge with the Fighter's Guild.

Illumus' last comment about her slipping into invisibility caused her to almost pause, it once again caught her off guard that someone knew part of her routine. Granted it was because she'd been on another mission with Illumus before, but she hadn't really expected for him to have such a good memory. Perhaps she was underestimating him. She made a careful mental note of this as she waited for him to don the guard's armor. When he was done, she nodded to indicate she was ready. If all went well he'd open the door and cause some sort of distraction, and while doing so, she'd hopefully be able to take out two of the four individuals. Eliya's form shimmered as she cast a spell of invisibility over herself and disappeared....

Eliya slipped through the open door as Illumus called out for assistance. She didn't know how long his ploy would work, if it would, and had no intention of wasting time. The room was medium sized and held four targets. Eliya quickly identified which two were the bandit leaders and moved swiftly towards them. Unfortunately for her, the bandit leader who was also a former Crimson Scar, motioned for his to underlings to check out Ilumus' request, while he and Ilsa remained standing in the center of the room. They appeared to be in the middle of studying a map. Ilsa, a dark elf, had her full attention on the entrance to the room, while Torval had dismissed the intrusion and was studying the map intently. "I know its here somewhere. All the clues point it!" His fist slammed into the table with enough force that a tankard fell off and clanged as it hit the ground.

Even as Eliya had entered and quickly assessed the room, she was already planning and plotting, her invisible form one of fluidity and speed as she moved to take down the targets. A quick look around the room and she chose her first victim. Suddenly her form shimmered and became visible behind one of the thugs as as she brutally and efficiently cut his neck open with a single dagger. Blood gushed forth but because the Altmer was behind him she was able to make sure not a drop landed on her. Even as his body was crumpling to the ground Eliya spun to direct her attention at the two leaders, hoping Illumus would able to successfully take out the other thug.

The mage assassin's timing as she turned to face Torval and Ilsa was spot on. The dunmer woman had grabbed a crossbow from who knew where and was about to let an arrow fly at Eliya -- the redheaded elf barely had time to move out of the way, and even though she did, the arrow caught the edge of her right arm and tore her robe. There was a slight burn indicating the projectile had grazed her bicep, but it only added fuel to Eliya's determination. Eyes narrowed with hate, Eliya reached out with a telekinesis spell and ripped the crossbow from the other woman's hands. It clattered against the floor as it fell across the room, out of Ilsa's reach, but the devious woman had already pull out a longsword and was advancing on Eliya.