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.

replied as she snatched up the smaller ant, threw her

who w-w-w-will

think she’s beyond

As predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly, rocking the

Brilliant roared.

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

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

enveloping the entire room in a

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

the room stopped shaking and Experimant felt

a quick headcount?

Brilliant said, emerging from

are…” Experimant

want to know how I

“Not really-”

leg. “And that was the

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

Come on, all of you out of the cages. We’ve got to

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

ones. But that’s fine, I got a good look at

brain to study it, then?” Experimant said, then realised she said it out loud, went to apologise,

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

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 of the staff began to clean up and

as an array embedded

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 seeing this!? Look