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.

why I’m carrying you to the cages,” Experimant replied as she snatched up the smaller ant, threw her on her back and rushed to the

w-w-w-will

think she’s beyond

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

Brilliant roared. “I CAN SEE IT

out

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

the entire room in a second. Brilliant never got a chance to

blast cages, the 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 even what Brilliant

before the room stopped shaking

get a quick

said,

are…”

want to

“Not really-”

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

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

of the cages. We’ve got to check

she helped the rest of the lab-ants emerge from the

fine, I got

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

can project it if necessary. My brain, that is. Come on! We are on the verge of a breakthrough after this one, I can feel

the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way from the perimeter as the rest of the staff began to clean up and

on, come on… YES!” Brilliant punched the air with her two front legs as an array embedded into

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 information along with

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