Chapter 103: Chapter 103 - The Awakening of the Matron
As the cocoon trembled deep within the nest Lily had meticulously built, in fact even in her evolutionary state her worker units were still improving the nest; they had built new locations, and chambers, collected flora, and weak animals they caught; it was looking like a proper nest now.
But she was finally coming out of the cocoon, the dense outer layers of hardened organic material began to break apart, piece by piece, giving way to something far more refined than her former self as she clawed at it.
Her Hive Units stirred with anticipation, sensing the main's body emergence and the difference in the connection already setting in; as their bond to her grew stronger, sharper, and far more intricate than before.
With a final pulse of energy, the cocoon shattered, its pieces dissolving into nothing as if consumed by the very energy that had birthed them and fusing back with her body.
Lily emerged, her form somewhat taller, and refined, with an aura that felt like an ever creeping creature lingering in the wait. Her once-silver hair now held streaks of black and deep purple that seemed to ripple slightly with a faint glow; while her skin carried a faint, iridescent sheen.
Her mind felt profoundly different; she didn't even need to focus on the hive to feel the connection to each of them.
Where before she could connect to her Hive Units with concentration, now it was as if they existed within her thoughts, woven into the fabric of her mind.
Every unit, every distant presence, felt as though they were threads she could pull at will; with a fraction of a thought she could control any of them at once.
She could sense their individual emotions, fears, instincts, and even memories were all woven together into a neat library in her mind that kept everything safe.
This depth of connection was an extension of her very being; the Hive was no longer merely her creation— it was her essence.
As she took her first step forward, her senses exploded with clarity as she adjusted to her new form, and her new abilities.
She felt the vibrations in the earth not just from herself but from every Hive Unit connected to her. She sensed the slightest shifts in the air, and could even hear the distant hum of Hive Units stationed at the edges of her nest.
Her mental reach extended far beyond the walls of her chamber, effortlessly spanning hundreds of Hive Units scattered throughout the Savage Land; the workers and hunters that had been about their business stopped as she passed through each of them.
But the most striking new trait wasn't this simple connection, she already had that, no something new had developed. She could feel its power tingling at the edges of her consciousness, her thoughts carrying subtle weight capable of influencing the weaker-willed, an ability that came with this newly formed.
She wished to test it, but for now, she held in the want to go outside; she wanted to fully adapt to this new form and learn all there was about it, she also needed to check out her status.
"Good."
She murmured, her voice resonating with a deep hoarse tone that echoed through the chamber.
"Status."
As she spoke the screen appeared before her; it was more refined than before and a few new changes had occurred.
[Name]: Liliana Goldbrone
[Age]: Physical: Unknown, Soul: 18
[Race]: Mimictarion BroodMother (80%) - Empyrean Hive Matron
[Titles]: Last of Their Kind, Hivemind, Empyrean
[Attributes]
Energy: 100
Strength: 350
Durability: 300
Agility: 100
Mental: 400
[Free Mass]: 4300
[Skills]:
Hivemind
Adapt, Evolve, Overcome
Mimic Creation
Expand Skills—
[New Evolution Traits - Empyrean Hive Matron]:
Evolutionary Willpower:
Grants Liliana subtle influence over creatures with weaker wills, allowing her to issue simple commands. The influence scales with her Mental stat, increasing in the number of affected creatures and the complexity of commands.
Hive Bonding:
Allows Liliana to mark living beings with her mental energy, making them part of the hive without full control. She can choose to take control or read their thoughts and memories, though they retain free will otherwise. The bonding requires focus and becomes more difficult as the target's willpower increases.
The first thing she noticed was the two new abilities that came with her evolution, Hive Bonding and Evolutionary Willpower. She already felt the instincts of Evolutionary Willpower itching at her mind to use it, however, she didn't even notice Hive Bonding.
It most likely only worked on beings with a sentient mind, so animals didn't trigger it; but it was a great ability regardless. This would make it easier for her to accomplish her plans in the future, without needing to kill people and replace them.
The next thing she noticed was her race name; Empyrean Hive Matron. It was added as a sub-name to her original race and the percentage had increased to 80%.
She didn't know what that meant, but the name was pretty interesting, it was most likely something her mind came up with based on novels and stories she enjoyed in her past life.
Lastly, she noticed her Mental stat had increased to 400 from 300, a jump of 100 in total. That went to show that this evolution was most likely heavily inspired by her many mental abilities, thus increasing them even further.
That was good, mental was something Lily wanted; she wanted to test them more than anything.
But there was no rush. For now, she took satisfaction in her heightened awareness, the countless minds that thrummed to her will.
She stretched her fingers, feeling the surge of raw energy ripple beneath her skin, and she knew, without question, that she was no longer merely Lily— the last Mimictarion BroodMother.
She was the Empyrean Hive Matron, the Last of Her Kind, and the world, mutant or otherwise, would feel the weight of her ascendance.
She turned her gaze toward the exit, a faint smile playing on her lips as she envisioned her next steps.
The Savage Land was vast, and it was hers to conquer.
Chapter 104: Chapter 104 - Laying Foundations
Lily walked out of the tunnels she had made, observing the Savage Land stretching before her, its untamed beauty rich with potential and lurking dangers; just in the time she had spent evolving she had already lost around 20 of the worker units she had made due to lurking danger.
But she also gathered quite a few of the prehistoric flora and fauna that she could get her hands on; so she just needed to devour them and gain attributes from them.
The strange blend of ancient flora and prehistoric creatures offered an abundant array of resources, though she knew her mass reserves needed careful management because of her plans.
She currently had around 54000 mass, while that may seem like a lot it was not nearly enough for the nest she had envisioned, she wanted a nest that stretched across this entire land.
She wanted to conquer it all, and eventually, she would but for now, she had to start small.
With her evolution she unlocked a new type of unit that she could make, she deemed them 'building units'. As the name would suggest these were units that were essentially living buildings, for the most part, they couldn't move after being made but they had useful functions.
There were eight in total she could make right now, and while she couldn't make most of them and wouldn't go through them for the time being, there were two that she wanted to make from the start.
It was wiser to use her mass in a small but significant way that would benefit her from the start; so after considering her options carefully and getting a scope of the land, she came to a conclusion.
First, the Breeding Spire.
As the name would suggest, it was the backbone of her hive and a structure that would allow her to nurture new units and adapt existing ones at a faster rate, without her needing to personally do it.
It would cost her 16,000 mass, a significant amount from what she currently had, but one that would allow her to ensure steady growth and reinforce her hive in the coming days.
Given the dangers of the landscape, this was a much-needed insurance.
The second choice was a more pragmatic one, as she would need mass to fuel her expansion, and so the Harvesting Well was a necessary choice.
This structure would use the natural material around it and provided to it, breaking down materials and converting them into mass for her and her hive. And at 10,000 Mass, it was an investment that would ensure she never depleted her resources again.
Plus it would provide mass to the other buildings without her needing to do so herself.
With her decision made, she made her way back into the tunnels and found a good chamber to make the buildings. Taking a deep breath, feeling the surge of her ability within her, weaving her will into something tangible and alive.
The blackish goo leaked from her body and began to form before her. She could feel her Mass reserves depleting quickly as she poured her resources into the construction of the new units. The black goo bubbled and twisted, like a living mass it changed and molded over and over again until it formed a large structure that seemingly melded into the wall.
In the end, it formed a large mass that looked like flesh and bones; with tendrils going into the ground and walls around it. t seemed to move with rhythmic breathing, as if alive.
With the Harvesting Well formed; she could feel it connected to her instantly, and while it didn't provide a lot at once, every few seconds she could feel a few mass be provided to her; in tune with the building's breathing pattern.
Next, she decided to move on to the Breeding Spire, for this one she planned to place it deeper within the tunnels so that outside forces couldn't reach it easily.
Ordering the Worker Units to make a new chamber, a large one, she planned to put it into a massive chamber, where she would building multiple Spires in one to turn it into a breeding ground.
After a few minutes, the chamber had been made and she began to make the Breeding Spire; just like with the previous one it formed as a black goo that molded and took shape, eating away at her mass as she did leaving her with barely anything.
In the end, the structure looked almost like a weird marshland with flesh and eggs; it had weird bone-like pillars and flesh pools with what looked like eggs and holes in them. These were the spawning points for the units that would be made, with the flesh pools being the mass stored.
She could feel her connection to it established the second it was completed, she could install various genetic codes and capabilities and then set the Spire to automatically breed Hive Units; be it workers, scouts, hunting, and so on.
This would be a large bonus to her swarm, and saying she was satisfied when she made both would be an understatement.
A deep satisfaction settled within her, a sense of progress that strengthened her resolve; with these two structures, she was no longer just existing here— she was establishing her foothold.
These two structures would mark the beginning, allowing her to grow her hive steadily while planning her future in the Savage Land; she had already made contact with some of the local wildlife and even tribes through her scouts, but she didn't interact further with them just yet.
She planned to however do so soon, at the very least she wanted to have a solid foothold within the Savage Lands before later June, as she wanted to leave around that time.
From her memories, something important would happen, and she needed her main body to be there for that.
With the rough estimate of the day being May 18th, she had roughly 20 days to do what she planned.
Stepping back, she allowed herself a moment to savor the scene, free from distracting thoughts of the future, then moved on; time to meet the locals.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
12 Power
stone 
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