With her two foundational buildings complete, Lily took a final look at her expanding nest before deciding to explore her surroundings further.
While her Hive Units had given her glimpses of the local wildlife and scattered tribes, she wanted to witness the landscape firsthand because it would be a different experience and allow her to understand the lay of the land she intended to conquer.
Stepping outside her tunnels, she observed the vibrant, dense jungle that stretched endlessly before her.
The Savage Land's unique environment was wild and unpredictable— prehistoric flora and fauna unlike any other in the modern world filled it— remnants of a forgotten era untouched by the cruelty of mankind.
Large, thick-rooted trees created canopies that blocked out much of the sunlight, cloaking the landscape in a dull darkness. Vines and moss-draped over every surface, crawling up rocks and tangling between branches, offering vegetation to those that needed it.
Massive plants and wildflowers bloomed in unnatural colors, hues she hadn't seen before, and shapes she never thought existed. The scents, too, were different— fresh, earthy, and lush.
Walking outside felt like she had stepped out onto another planet; it was completely unlike Earth.
It was primal, dangerous, and full of potential.
Lily took a moment to let her senses expand outward, feeling her connection to every Hive Unit already scattered through the landscape.
The worker units she'd sent to gather resources and scout the surroundings responded instantly, feeding her details of every creature they had come across so far.
It wasn't an understatement when the comics described the Savage Lands as a safe haven for prehistoric creations, because that was exactly what she came across.
Dinosaurs the likes of which she had never seen before in reality, famous ones she knew of like the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptors, and Stegosaurus but also ones she had never even seen before. They all roamed the lands freely; feeding and surviving just like everything else.
Some of her Hive Units had stumbled upon them before, and she even lost some of the weaker ones due to the sheer size and strength of the creatures.
Since then the Hive Units have been avoiding the big ones and simply watching from afar.
'I need to get some of those when I get the chance. I wonder what they can give me?'
She pondered as she glanced at them through her hive, but for now, she didn't want to get into a fight. Actually, she had another plan, some of her scouts had actually come across various tribes and isolated groups scattered within the jungle.
As she didn't plan to leave the jungle just yet, this was perfect for her. These groups were armed with basic weapons crafted from local material and used rudimentary hunting tactics; they were completely primitive and primal in nature from what she observed.
But they possessed one crucial thing that could make them useful: knowledge of the terrain and creatures within it.
Without even needing to think about it, a few scout units moved to observe these villages more closely.
She wanted to understand their culture and how they interacted with the environment; she knew very little about the Savage Lands from the comics, largely it was unknown to her and so she needed to play this safe.
However, her attention was soon pulled to a Hive Unit further away on the northern edge of the jungle. One of her scouts buzzed around the periphery of a small settlement, gathering visual data through its many compound eyes.
From what Lily could discern, this village was larger than the scattered tribes her scouts had encountered so far and the inhabitants seemed more advanced than the others.
They wore simple clothes made of animal hides and carried spears tipped with sharpened stones; their houses seemed sturdy compared to the mud huts and wooden structures of the others.
Intrigued, she decided to get a closer look herself.
She summoned a handful of her Direworm Hunting Units and sent a few scouts ahead, all moving silently alongside her to avoid any unexpected visitors in the jungle.
With each step, she moved deeper into the thick wildlife, blending into the darkness caused by the towering trees and making her way over to the location with great haste.
The moment she arrived, she noticed that the vegetation around the area was a lot less cluttered; almost as if they were purposefully well-kept.
She decided to use her stealth and observe the village from the trees above for some time, her various senses peering into the houses below her and allowing her to get an idea of what was going on.
What she saw was quite astonishing.
Firstly, the village wasn't as full as she had expected, in fact, she primarily saw elderly, women, children, and a few men around; this however didn't surprise her.
'They're out hunting most likely.'
While she didn't see any on her way here, it was likely that a hunting party had gone out to collect food and bring it back to the village, which would explain why so few people remained behind, compared to the number of houses.
However, the main part that she found interesting was there looks; they were almost completely human, if not for their slightly large frame and features.
But mistaking them for humans wouldn't be unusual.
'The Fall People.'
Lily didn't know their real name, she only knew the name from some comics she had read, but they were referred to as 'The Fall People' a tribe or race of people that lived within the Savage Lands since the beginning.
They were the closest to humans and that was why they looked so alike; in fact, it was highly likely they evolved from the same species or something similar, Lily didn't know the exact details.
But it was a good thing that she ran into them and not another group simply because the Fall People were relatively friendly in nature; at least they weren't outright hostile to outside forces.
At least that was what she remembered from the comic she had read about them, in truth she wasn't sure if they would be the same.
However she decided to do something, rather foolish, she decided to just reveal herself to the group; maybe it was because she felt somewhat powerful after evolution, or maybe she wanted to see how it would go, but she decided that instead of hiding for too long she would just meet them.
Emerging from the dense trees and dropping below her; she approached the entrance of the village. She could feel the attention of the villagers shift from what they were doing, towards her; a group of them raised their spears in response to defend themselves.
Their eyes were wary and focused, but they weren't attacking just yet; they simply sensed danger and reacted accordingly. She could see the tension rippling throughout them, muscles tensing, readying to defend their home from danger.
Lily waved her hand, a universal sign of peace, as she spoke aloud to them.
"I come seeking knowledge of this land and its secrets. I am no enemy, only a traveler wishing to understand. I mean no harm."
She didn't know if they understood English, she hoped that at least one amongst them understood some of what she was saying but that would be a hard ask.
However she didn't only rely on language, instead she also used her abilities to subtly create an effect of calm and peace that formed tendrils of influence in their minds.
It was like weaving threads into their minds, bending their instincts just enough to lower their hostility and make them realize she wasn't harmful; it wasn't perfect but it was enough for this situation.