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.

Experimant replied as she snatched up the smaller ant, threw

w-w-w-will save the

think she’s

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

Brilliant roared.

unstable mass of power she could reach out and touch it. Within her heart,

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

flashed white, then expanded rapidly, enveloping the entire room in a second. Brilliant never got a chance to complete her

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

took five minutes before the room stopped shaking and Experimant felt confident

get a quick headcount? Sound

Brilliant said, emerging from the

are…” Experimant

to

“Not really-”

the carapace with a front leg. “And that was the

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

out of the cages. We’ve

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

main ones. But that’s fine, I got a

said it

need,” Brilliant remarked off hand, “I can project it if necessary. My brain, that is. Come on! We are on the verge of a breakthrough after this one,

and began rummaging about, shouting and exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way from the perimeter as the rest

air with her two front legs as an array embedded into a

that refused to work, she savaged it with a bite before running to the next. In short order, she’d

kick of power we got by infusing the liquid mana