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 her on her back and rushed to the

who w-w-w-will

she’s

matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly, rocking

roared.

mass of power she could reach out and touch it. Within her heart, Experimant said a quick farewell to the

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

entire room in a second. Brilliant

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

the room stopped shaking and Experimant felt confident enough to

we get a quick

here,” Brilliant said, emerging from the

are…” Experimant said

to know how I

“Not really-”

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

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

out of the

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

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

said, then realised she said it out loud, went

brain, that is. Come on! We are on the verge of

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

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

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

power we got by infusing the liquid mana was