Chrysalis

“MORE POWER, DAMMIT!”

“We don’t have any more! We don’t have the power!”

“It’s so close. So close! Empty the tanks, we need every drop!”

“But… but that’s madness!”

“It’s not madness… it’s BRILLIANT!”

Electricity crackled, lightning flashed and sparks fell like rain from overhead as the ants scurried to follow the orders of their leader. Atop her observation spire, Brilliant cackled, her mandibles snapping together in a staccato rhythm as the flashes and explosions lit her from below, projecting her demented shadow onto the wall.

“Th-th-the b-backup m-m-matrix is collapsing!” Assistant whimpered.

“It’s fine, we have three backups!”

“This IS the third backup!” Experimant roared.

“Not to worry, I installed a secret fourth backup matrix and didn’t tell you!”

“That’s just a lie, isn’t it?!”

Another explosion rocked the chamber and Brilliant teetered on the edge of her spire, a hair's breadth from losing her grip and falling into the swirling maelstrom of light below. The many-faceted eyes of the mage were filled with an unearthly glow, and for a long moment, Experimant was convinced she’d finally lost her mind.

“Dump the tanks and then hit the cages!” she shouted and hundreds of lab ants rushed to follow her orders.

“Th-th-th-th-th-this will overflow the matrix for sure!” Assistant said.

up the smaller ant, threw her on her back and rushed to

who w-w-w-will save

she’s beyond

gate matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly, rocking the chamber once more and sending deadly blasts

Brilliant roared. “I

upside down from her spire, so close to the unstable mass of power she could reach out and touch it. Within her heart, Experimant said a quick farewell to the disturbed genius as Assistant cried out from her

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

gate flashed white, then expanded rapidly, enveloping the entire room in

rained down from above. The chamber had been built to withstand magic detonations, but that last one had been beyond

stopped shaking and Experimant

a quick headcount?

here,” Brilliant said, emerging from the

are…” Experimant said

want to know

“Not really-”

carapace with a front leg. “And that was the best experiment we’ve run

“Y-y-you're alive?” Assistant mumbled.

on, all of you out of the

she helped the rest of the lab-ants emerge from

the main ones. But that’s fine, I got a good look at what they

then?” Experimant said, then realised she said it out loud, went to apologise, then shrugged and kept doing what

My brain, that is. Come on!

in the dust and began rummaging about, shouting and exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way

two front legs as an array embedded into a reinforced stone pillar flickered to life. “Someone extract

with a bite before running to the next. In short order, she’d

the liquid mana was just what we needed. See these readings? Are you seeing