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

who w-w-w-will

think she’s

sending the volatile substance flowing through the underground pipelines and into the gate matrix. As predicted, the matrix

roared.

she could reach out and touch it. Within her heart, Experimant said a quick farewell to the disturbed

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

enveloping the entire room in a second.

chamber had been built to withstand magic detonations, but that last one had been beyond even what Brilliant was

five minutes before the room stopped shaking

get a quick headcount? Sound

said, emerging from

are…”

you want to know how

“Not really-”

carapace with a front leg. “And that

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

of the cages. We’ve got to

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

that’s fine, I got a

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

it if necessary. My brain, that is. Come on! We are on the verge

with energy, the little mage raced off in the dust and began rummaging about, shouting and exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way from the perimeter as the rest

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

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 over the printed scent-pages of

got by infusing the liquid mana was just what we needed. See these readings? Are you seeing this!? Look at the