The Archmage Arrives

"Does no one know how to knock?" Camilla throws her hands up as she stands. "And who even are you?"

The arch-imago glances to her, but doesn't seem to pay her mind, and after sweeping the room, she mumbles something. She looks around again, stopping on Kara. "So you are hiding something."

While the captain is about to throw a fit, you rush and to set a hand on her shoulder. "Uh, excuse me, arch-imago." Shit shit shit, what do I even say? "Uh, we weren't...expecting you. Is there anything we can help you with?" You slowly shift, attempting to hold the slime behind your back.

She looks to both you and Camilla. "I'm here to assist with the Hornet Empress, but I saw a black-winged monster land behind this house. Is it a friend of yours?" Her monotone voice puts you at even less ease than if she had an accusatory tone.

You share a look with your 'servants', as Miki had put it. "I'm sorry...we've never heard of such a thing."

She pauses, before turning to Kara again. "Have you seen it?"

The kitsune shakes her head, maybe a little too quickly. "I haven't, no."

"Monsters in hiding tend to find each other. Maybe they haven't revealed their nature to you."

Camilla steps between her girlfriend and the intruder, looking down on the latter. "What are you implying with that?"

You notice Citrinas' sleeve twitch a bit. "I'm don't imply anything. This woman is a monster."

You're sure you're not the only one shocked, but it still makes you pause. "Uh, that's...quite the accusation. Where's your proof?" Instead of answering, she mumbles again. Before you know it, Kara's ears and tails are completely visible. "Uh...I guess that's proof..." You gulp. Is this really how we get caught?

Kara, realizing the situation, stands and moves in front of her girlfriend. "They didn't know! A-and I acted alone..." Her courage fades quickly as she stares at Citrinas' unemotional face. "I'm the only m-monster here."

Silence falls onto the room as Citrinas stares. If I'm remembering right, she's the one I could probably convince, with some effort... You gulp. I sure hope I'm not wrong... "No, Kara. We're not doing this." You set the slime down on the bed. "Arch-imago, I'm the one you saw." You move between them. "Kara and I, and a couple other monsters in the area, don't mean any harm. In fact, I think we might be able to help each other."

The mage doesn't look up at you, but pauses. "Show me."

You cock an eyebrow, but eventually pick up on what she's saying. You drop your polymorph, revealing your true, monstrous form. Your horns sprout out and your wings unfurl. Please be curious enough to not kill us...

She looks you over, taking in the information. Abruptly, she reaches up and grabs your wing, flexing it and feeling its texture through her too-long sleeves.

"Ah, okay, that's fine, I guess." You squirm a bit as she continues to run her hands over your wing. "Ow! Do you have to pluck me, too?" She holds one of your black feathers, staring at it in silence.

Camilla taps your shoulder before crossing her arms, whispering. "Do you know her? Because she's really starting to piss me off."

You sigh, speaking in a mid-hushed tone. "Look, she's...not normal. Have you ever heard of autism?" The quizzical stare prompts you to continue. "Didn't think so. Anyway, this is Arch-imago Citrinas, the strongest mage there is, if I recall correctly, and one of the Saintesses. She doesn't...think the same way most people do. I don't remember all the details on it, since I never did any kind of research back on my world. She may seem rude to us, but to her, you're just getting mad for no reason."

The brunette groans, holding the bridge of her nose. "You have a habit of picking up oddballs, don't you?"

You chuckle nervously, returning your gaze to the guest, who seems to have just deposited your feather in one of her pockets. "I'm hoping I'm right, Arch-imago."

"My mission here is to assist with the Hornet Empress, if necessary. If you do not aim to stop me, you may do as you please. Will you point me in the direction of a woman named Camilla? She sent a letter two days ago to Lord Byron asking for aid. I'm supposed to talk with her about arrangements for the army that may be arriving tonight."

Camilla drops her jaw. "Wait, they're sending an army? I didn't even say if I knew where the Empress was!"

"Are you Camilla? That makes this convenient." The mage walks over and sits in one of the chairs, then maneuvers her legs to sit cross-legged.

"You-..." The captain exhales, moving and putting her hands palm-down on the table. "Look, I've already had a long day. I'm not going to talk to you about anything until you apologize for busting in here without notice and scaring the shit out of all of us."

The arch-imago's sleeve twitches again. "I'm sorry. Can we continue?" The apology doesn't sound sincere at all, and Camilla isn't having it.

Luckily, you step in before she can blow up. "Cap, I think it's fine for now. If an army's coming, then we'd better prepare how we can." And here I thought we had a few months to deal with the Empress. By the sound of it, it'll happen either tomorrow or the day after... "Arch-imago, what's this about the army?"

"Camilla has provided ample information on the Hornet Empress. The colonel assumes that to have this information, you've seen the Hornet Empress, which would require it being in the region. Lord Byron deemed it enough of a threat to warrant mobilizing the army. He wants to eliminate the Hornet Empress before it can produce any hybrid offspring."

You sigh. How much do I say? "It makes sense. Hornets are already a nuisance, and that's without having abilities of other monsters." I'm still curious on that, myself...

"That is exactly his concern." Citrinas nods. "Is the Hornet Empress in the region, or did you learn this information elsewhere? If it's the latter, I have been told to find out where you obtained the information."

Camilla looks to you, and you continue. "I'm the one that saw the Empress. And yes, she's in the area. Cap and I took care of a hive a bit northeast of here, and the Empress showed up the next day. Along with the Empress, there's a wolf therian. If she hasn't given birth yet, I estimate she will by tomorrow." No point playing my whole hand, especially since Camilla probably doesn't know about my new children, yet.

The mage mumbles again, then speaks up. "This is Citrinas. The Hornet Empress is in the area. I have a first-hand witness who can guide you to where it is." She pauses as you, Kara, and Camilla share a look, then continues. "The army is being dispatched. They will arrive by nightfall, and will expect to march again by morning."

The captain blinks. "Wait, already? We're not prepared to house an army! How many are even coming?"

Citrinas' sleeve twitches again as she momentarily squints and blinks, the first time her expression has changed this whole conversation. "Two hundred. A-are there any areas in town equipped to handle that many people?"

"No! Of course not! Weren't you listening? We're a frontier town, not a city! We've only got three rooms at the tavern, and we're already dealing with victims rescued from the goblin tribes! We can't handle that many people!" The captain waves her arms in frustration.

"W-where could I-"

"Are you even hearing me?!"

You place your hand on the captain's shoulder. "Camilla, cal-" Time seems to slow for a moment as the Arch-imago nearly jumps off the chair and rushes out the back door, an afterimage following her. By the time you can react, she's gone. Shit, what was that? "Cap, take a breather." You trot outside, leaving behind the lovebirds. That definitely didn't seem like she was okay... Glancing around, you think you catch a brief glimpse of Citrinas' afterimage heading into the forest, and begin rushing after it.