The ability to create functional gates was perhaps the greatest leap forward in magical technology since the time of Rending. Safely securing travel, even at significant expense, between strata, between cities, and finally connecting the civilisations in a meaningful way, changed life on Pangera forever. No longer were the civilised races forced to huddle in their cities, with only the mightiest of warriors able to leave or travel with any reliability.

Trade flourished. Cultural exchange blossomed. Alliances were formed and cemented. The gates are the greatest defence, and the greatest weapon against the Dungeon.

- ‘Forward March - Advancing society post-rending.’ by Arcurial

Assistant was worried.

“It’s nothing, she’s fine,” Experimant told her tersely.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. Now focus on your job.”

Above them, perched on her station overlooking the experimental portal and the entire workspace, Brilliant flopped listlessly. Her legs dangled uselessly as her antennae shifted this way and that, seemingly without purpose.

“We’re almost ready for the next test,” Experimant reported up to their leader. “Repairs are complete, in record time, the power banks are charged and our monitors are reading steady.”

“Of course the repairs are complete,” Brilliant sighed, “there was barely any explosion at all last time.”

“That’s not a bad thing, remember?” Experimant griped acidly as she continued to direct the rest of the team.

“It’s boring.”

“We’re on the verge of creating a breakthrough in portal technology for the Colony, and all you have to say is ‘it’s boring’?! We might even succeed on this attempt!”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Brilliant said, completely devoid of energy. “We are going to succeed on this attempt. There’s no mystery, no excitement, no risk of anything blowing up, no sense of the unknown.”

Her legs wiggled fitfully before she resumed her listless flop.

“I just can’t feel any interest now that we’ve succeeded.”

“But we haven’t succeeded,” Experimant snapped. “I don’t see a stable gate here in the chamber, do you? How about you ensure that you’re correct before you just… do whatever it is that you’re doing?”

“I’m already sure I’m correct,” the leader groaned. “Did you forget who I am? I’m Brilliant.”

“Fine. Be that way. Assistant, do we have contact with the destination?”

“The s-s-signal is coming th-th-th-through.”

“Stop your shivering. It’s going to be fine!”

“I-I-I’m just excited!”

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“Weak,” Brilliant called.

“You be quiet.”

Experimant took a deep breath and looked carefully around the chamber once more. The team were busy preparing the gate, ensuring the many, many enchantments, reading devices and sensor arrays were all operational and reading correctly.

Around the outside of the room, the vast powerbanks hummed with energy, the mana within churning as if begging to be released. Even the liquid mana tanks were half full, enough power to blast a hole in the dimensional weave should they so desire.

But they weren’t going to blast a hole, they shouldn’t need to anymore. As their tests had gone on, Brilliant had refined the process more and more, narrowing their focus and adjusting the method from a battering ram between dimensions to a handshake through space and time.

In the last test, they’d successfully established contact between the sending and receiving gates, but failed to stabilise it before there was another manifold collapse with only minor blowback.

“We begin the next test in one minute!” she announced to the room. “Clear the gate!”

“Gate is clear!”

“Begin recordings!”

“Recordings started!”

“Activate weave monitoring!”

“Activated!”

“Connect the powerbanks!”

There was a loud thunk and a rippling of energy within the gate.

“Connected!”

“Charge the shields!”

“Charged!”

“Assistant, are our coordinates locked?”

“Th-th-th-they’re locked! We’re holding s-s-s-steady. S-s-s-signal is still clear!”

“Initiate the handshake!”

Power crackled within the gate, sparks of dimensional energy flickering and leaping into the air.

“I-i-i-initiated!”

“Everyone into the bunkers! Go! Go! Go!”

There were over a hundred members of the team at this point, and they turned and dashed into the waiting cages that lined the room. Experimant grabbed Assistant and dragged her along as she ran.

“W-w-what about Brilliant?” she stammered.

“No need,” Brilliant waved back at them lazily as she gazed down into the crackling rift.

“You heard her. Now run!”

As the chamber thrummed with power, the two threw themselves into the cages before scrambling to turn around and see what happened. Led by channels carved into the floor, the vast reserves of arcane energy streamed toward the gate. The sheer density of power caused reality to bend and twist, sending lightning sparking and writhing through the air.

The gate itself flickered and then rang like a gong, a deep intonation that rumbled through the chamber and rattled the ants inside their own carapaces.

“Here it goes,” Experimant whispered.

There was a sound like inrushing air before the gathering purple energy within the gate suddenly exploded. Not outward, but forwards, as if tunnelling deep into the floor, except it wasn’t; it was tunnelling through dimensions.

“Come on. Come onnnnn.”

Above it all, Brilliant continued to gaze down into the rift, devoid of interest or energy.

Like a whirlpool, the dimensional energy drained down and down endlessly, forming a tunnel that would hopefully connect to the exit point.

Then, suddenly, it stopped. The whirlpool of energy ceased, grew still and stabilised. Huddled in the cages and protected behind powerful shields, the many members of the team boggled, not quite willing to believe what they were seeing.

Where was the explosion? Where was the detonation or life-threatening collapse or dimensional void-monster threatening them from the beyond?

“Wait!” Experimant demanded.

Everyone tensed.

“Don’t go early. We don’t know what could happen next.”

They continued to watch in silence, waiting. At any moment, the entire thing would collapse and blow up in their faces. It always did. But as the seconds ticked by, and nothing continued to happen, a tiny whisper of belief began to grow in Experimant’s heart.

“Yaaaaaay,” Brilliant huffed, then proceeded to clap her legs together beneath her, sarcastically. “I did it.”