That had to be it. Or was it? 'Could that be a coincidence?' Argo wondered. She wanted to check her notes.
    "Suisen." Argo asked, maybe a little to forcefully.
    "Yes, Argo-san." The Pixie took up an attentive posture.
    "By now, about how many people work directly for the Faerie Lords?" She'd kept count for the first few weeks, but eventually, her other responsibilities had left her with little time to take census data. Instead, she'd delegated Suisen to memorize the facts and figures. True intelligence had only made her little partner even more useful.
    The Pixie's head bowed as if she was giving the question a great deal of thought. "Including personal staffs, city workers, the watch, and the defense force volunteers, there are approximately six thousand one hundred and twelve."
    Argo leaned back in her chair, that was what she'd thought. Even excluding that one in ten Faeries were involved directly in some way with their fledgling government, the murders had all been perpetrated against high ranking personnel, the secretary of a Faerie Lord and two Captains of the Watch.
    This was planned, not just the execution but the effect, there was a clear objective beyond the killing. Then was the blood and gore some sort of camouflage? Was someone trying to hide the murders by making them  look like random killings? She'd almost be impressed if it wasn't so twisted.
    Okay then, what else?
    "Suisen, how many other people people are like the victims?"
    The pixie tilted her head as she tried to parse the question. "I don't understand."
    The Information Broker shook her head. It was easy to forget, Suisen might have gained true sentience and autonomy, with all of the intelligence that it implied, but she was still very childlike and sometimes didn't grasp context very well.
    "I want to know how many people had equal or greater status to Novair, Tobi, and Liliana, anyone who is closely trusted by the Faerie Lords." Argo clarified.
    "One moment." Suisen blinked as she parsed and processed the request. "There are seventy five people who match those criteria. The Ten Watch Captains, the members of the Tau Tona ruling council, the eight standing Faerie Lords and their personal assistents, Commander Eugene of the Self Defense Forces," Suisen continued to patiently list off names and occupations.
    Seventy five people, and any one of them could be the next target. That was too many to guard all at once. The watch simply didn't have enough officers. And worryingly, if Liliana and Tobi were any indication, the killer was more than able to take on multiple opponents at once.
    It was time to start eliminating potential Targets. The Faerie Lords were the first she took off the list, it didn't matter how good the attacker was, they wouldn't be getting through the Guard's of the Fae Lord's any time soon. Next were the head administrators of each of the City's, their lives were simply too public to be easily caught alone, more importantly, the killer hadn't targeted Alden even though the administrator was arguably even more important.
    Argo tapped her quill against the paper impatiently. So far, the Killer had chosen his target from a relatively elite class of former players. Lilian and Tobi had both been fairly powerful, a Magic Knight and a Dragoon Respectively, and even Novair had been no pushover thanks to being on the leading edge of the Sylph efforts to prepare for the World Tree Raid…
    Was that it? Tobi had been on it, had Liliana? She was willing to bet that the answer was yes. Novair hadn't been on the raid itself, but he had accompanied Lady Sakuya to Sylvain. Was that another link?
    Argo was just beginning to fill in another bubble, surrounding it with question marks when a sound from her window caused her ears to pique. The sound probably wouldn't have bothered her before, but not now, as a Cait, she could hear everything, and her brain was able to dissect the slightest sensory input. It caused her to freeze.
    It started as a scratching, barely audible even to her. The thing that made it stand out was how irregular it was, like something creeping, something prowling. Creaking turned to a groaning, like wood bearing too much weight. Still the noise was so faint that she could still hear Suisen's small voice.
    "… The Black Swordsman Kirito, the White Flash Asuna, Argo the Rat…"
    Argo let out a shout as she pounced for her dagger, resting atop her bed.
    With a wrenching -snap- and a shout, something lithe and fast fell into view outside the half open window, battering it aside as it crashed into the room.
    When Kirito heard the shout and the subsequent crash from the floor above, he was just greeting Caramella at the foot of the stairs. Both Faeries froze as they processed the noise. For a moment, his mind had been behind his accelerating body in reacting. Then he'd realized what he had just heard and the fact that he had just heard it within an Inn, and he became a blur of motion, memories of a different case in a different world flashing through his head.
    The interior of the inn was too confined to use his wings, even if they would work properly in an indoor space. He didn't bother trying to fly, but he did the next best thing as he kicked off from the ground floor, taking the stairs in only two bounds before ricocheting off the second story wall and running for Argo's room, Caramella was right behind him, hand reaching for her sword.
    Doors opened down the hall, occupants poking their heads out to learn what the noise was about before ducking back inside as Kirito streaked past.
    Argo and Caramella's room was at the far end, there was no time to slow down, no time to take it safe.
    "Caramella!" Kirito barked as he drew Onyx Arbiter.
    "Right with ya!" The Swordwoman shouted.
    Kirito dug his heels in, slowing just enough to not be a danger as he lead with his right shoulder. Faerie Swordsman met hardwood, and though the door didn't buckle, he still managed to tear the lock free from the door frame. Kirito was barely slowed down as he skidded to a stop within the confines of the inn room, ready for anything, or so her thought.

"Ar…" He began to shout out, only for the name to die on his lips. "… go?"
    "We're… here?" Caramella stumbled to a halt behind Kirito.
    "Nice for you to join us, Kii-bou, Caramel-chan. Looks like someone wanted to join you guys for dinner." Argo said from the floor, one strap of her nightshirt hanging from her shoulder and damp hair falling over her eyes. The Cait Syth information broker looked unamused as she sat atop another shape, straddling it from behind as it squirmed about beneath her discarded cloak.
    The squirming intensified, causing an irate Argo to push down on a lump at the front of her cloak, causing the form to sit still. Both sword users stood, taking in the scene before them.
    Kirito sighed, re-sheathing his sword and gesturing for Caramella to do the same. The Swordswoman didn't look so sure, so he explained. "I think Argo has it under control." Resting hands at his side, Kirito let his pulse slow. "So, what exactly happened?"
    "What happened?" Argo looked annoyed. "I was just going over my notes with Suisen when I heard something outside my window. Good thing too, otherwise  this," she pushed down angrily on the lump, "Would have landed right on top of me."
    Looking past Argo, Kirito noticed that the window frame was hanging only by its bottom hinges, the jam broken off and fallen to the floor.
    "Mmmph?" The lump under the cloak rose and twisted from side to side. "Mmm! Mhmhm?!"
    "Seems pretty talkative." Caramella noted. "You wanna get that, or should I?" The Swordswoman sighed as she returned her own sword to its scabbard.
    Kirito gave Argo a hand hauling the captured intruder to their feet, finding the slight figure to be surprisingly compliant as they set them down on the side of the bed nearest the window.
    Reaching up, Argo tore her cloak away, and the Faerie trio got the first good look at their captive. What they found didn't leave Kirito feeling very impressed.
    "Wow dudes, you really know how to make a girl feel welcome!"
    Argo's intruder was a Cait Syth, and none to imposing even by Cait Syth standards. Dorky, that was probably the best way for Kirito to describe her, and even using that term made him feel incredibly uncool by proximity. Short and thinly built with rosy cheeks, bright brown eyes, and brown hair tied up in pigtails.
    Her equipment appeared to be designed for a ninja build and was far more professional and intimidating than its wearer, snug, form fitting, dark blue body glove under lightweight fabric armor, all sized to keep any loose bits from rubbing or catching. A pair of grappling claws hung from the straps attached to her wrists, a large wood splinter still stuck to one of the claw tips.
    "Okay, time to talk." Argo spat out venemously. It had been a long day, and whatever Good Humor the Cait Girl usually had was by now completely spent.
    The girl's lips thinned. Did she think she was being brave by not talking? Argo's own stare bored into the girl until she finally cracked. "I wasn't doing anything!" Three neutral faces stared at her without a hint of amusement or belief. "Okay! I wasn't doing anything  illegal ! Technically."
    Argo cocked an ear, listening to the commotion in the hallway and on the floor below. The noise of the girl's entry and being subsequently subdued, combined with Kirito's own rushed entry, had drawn plenty of attention. The Information Broker looked back to the girl on the bed whose look of indignation was starting to fade as she realized that she was in Real Trouble now.
    Argo's expression turned into a spiteful little smile. "You know, the watch has been on the lookout for people like you, right? Lots of people have been caught using their wings and magic to spy on others while they're changing clothes or bathing. I guess the lack of porn is driving some perverts off the wall nya. You have thirty seconds, a minute tops, before the Innkeep gets up here. That tis how long you have to explain why we shouldn't turn you over to the Watch. Now spill sa!"
    The threat did its work, eating away at the girl's confidence and resolve. She exchanged horrified looks with Kirito and Caramella. "S-she's joking right!"
    Kirito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It is pretty suspicious, I can't think why else you'd be hiding outside a window."
    "Tell us what you're doing here, or get called out as a pervert to the entire city." Caramella emphasized with a mocking smile.
    "Clocks ticking…" Argo added with a nasally hiss.
    The girl trembled, face contorting as if she was about to burst. "Urrghh okay! I'm called Netzel, I'm a reporter for ALfheim Daily!"