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

w-w-w-will save the

think she’s beyond

liquid mana emptied, sending the volatile substance flowing through the underground pipelines and into the gate matrix. As predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly,

CAN SEE EVERYTHING!” Brilliant roared. “I CAN SEE

spire, so close to the unstable mass of power she could reach out and touch it. Within

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

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

cover as stone and debris rained down from above. The chamber had been built to withstand magic

stopped shaking and Experimant felt

a

said, emerging from

are…”

you want to know

“Not really-”

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

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

all of you out of the cages.

our sensor arrays melted?” Experimant grumbled as she helped the rest of

got a good look at what they were detecting

said it out

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

exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made

punched the air with her two front legs as an array embedded into a reinforced stone pillar flickered to

next. In short order, she’d either repaired or fatally damaged all ten of the outer detectors and started

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