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

w-w-w-will

she’s

predicted, the matrix blew almost instantly, rocking the chamber once more and sending deadly blasts of

EVERYTHING!” Brilliant roared. “I CAN

the unstable mass of power she could reach out and touch

“L-l-leader! Be c-c-careful!”

“BAH! CALL ME BRILLI-”

enveloping the entire room in a second. Brilliant never got a chance to complete her

chamber had been built to withstand magic detonations, but that last one had been beyond even what Brilliant was

stopped shaking and Experimant

a quick headcount?

said, emerging from the

are…” Experimant said

you want to know

“Not really-”

a front leg. “And that was the best experiment we’ve run so far! The results were

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

of the cages. We’ve got to check the

of our sensor arrays melted?” Experimant grumbled as she

fine, I got a good look at what they

said

need,” Brilliant remarked off hand, “I can project it if necessary. My brain, that is. Come on! We are on the verge of a breakthrough after this one,

exclaiming all the while. Assistant hesitantly made her way from the perimeter as the rest of

with her two front legs as an array

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 printed scent-pages of information along with her

we got by infusing the liquid mana was just what we needed. See these readings? Are