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.

carrying you to the cages,” Experimant replied as she snatched up the smaller ant, threw her on her

who w-w-w-will save the

think she’s beyond

matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew

roared. “I CAN SEE

mage was hanging upside down from her spire, so close to the unstable mass of power she could reach out and

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

the entire room in

The chamber had been built to withstand magic detonations, but that last one had been

the room stopped shaking and Experimant felt confident

get a quick

Brilliant said, emerging

you are…”

to

“Not really-”

slapping herself on the carapace with a front leg. “And that was the best experiment we’ve run so far! The results

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

out of the cages. We’ve got

sensor arrays melted?” Experimant grumbled as she

ones. But that’s fine, I got a good look at what they were detecting

I extract your brain to study it, then?” Experimant said, then realised she said it out

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

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 of the staff

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

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

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