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.

I’m carrying you to the cages,” Experimant replied as she snatched up the smaller ant, threw

w-w-w-will save the

she’s beyond

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

SEE 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 farewell to the disturbed genius as Assistant cried out

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

expanded rapidly, enveloping the entire room in

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 was normally

stopped shaking and Experimant felt confident enough to

a quick

Brilliant said,

you are…” Experimant said

to

“Not really-”

front leg. “And that

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

of the cages. We’ve

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

But that’s fine, I got a

she said it out loud, went

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

shouting and exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way from the perimeter as the rest of the staff began to

YES!” Brilliant punched the air with her two front legs as an array embedded into a reinforced stone pillar flickered to life. “Someone extract the data from

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

The kick of power we got by infusing the liquid mana was just what we