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

who w-w-w-will

she’s

flowing through the underground pipelines and into the gate matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly, rocking the chamber

EVERYTHING!” Brilliant roared. “I CAN SEE IT

close to the unstable mass of power she could reach out and touch it. Within her heart, Experimant said a quick

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

white, then expanded rapidly, enveloping the entire room in a second.

ants ducked for cover as stone and debris rained down from above. The chamber had been built to withstand magic detonations, but that last one had been beyond

five minutes before the room stopped shaking and

a quick headcount?

Brilliant said, emerging from

course you are…” Experimant

you want to

“Not really-”

slapping herself on the carapace with a front leg.

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

all of you out of the

arrays melted?” Experimant grumbled as she helped the rest of the lab-ants emerge from the protective

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

said it out loud, went to apologise, then shrugged and kept doing what she

Come on! We are on the verge of a breakthrough after this one,

all the while. Assistant hesitantly

legs as an array embedded into

one. When that refused to work, she savaged it with a bite before running to the next. In short order, she’d either repaired or fatally damaged all ten of the outer detectors and started poring

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