A technomancer's journey in an apocalyptic world

"Is the controls familiar to you?"

Jessica nodded as Ryan continued, "Please finish the pre-flight check and remember if you face any problem no matter how insignificant it might seem to be returned back post-haste."

Jessica simply tousled his hair as he gained scowl on his face as he spoke, "Be serious we do not have any methods to rescue you."

"I know Ryan, I know but you should stop worrying so much, nothing will happen I trust in your machine."

Ryan huffed at that as he spoke, "Thank you for trusting my machine but please do not forget that anything can happen so please be vigilant."

Jessica gave him a small smile as she spoke, "There is no need for you to worry I will be vigilant.", she then lowered her voice as she spoke barely above a whisper, "Though I should not speak ill Ylerias is getting on my nerves with how she is staring without blinking.'

Ryan replied with a similar conspiratorial tone, "Hmm, now do you understand what I had to endure for hours after hours, I can understand her to need to know something new but she feels as if…"

"Sush, she is coming this way."

Ryan immediately became silent as Jessica spoke, "Do not worry Ryan, we will be back before you know it.", she then turned towards Ylerias as she spoke in a respectful tone, "Your Holiness Good Morning."

Ylerias simply gave a nod as Ryan spoke with a smile, "Good Morning Lady Ylerias."

"Good Morning Lord Ryan, how have you been?"

"I am fine and you?"

"I am fine as well, though is your machine ready to fly."

Ryan did not show any emotions but inwardly he sighed, 'It was supposed to be a surprise but oh well she is intelligent enough to figure it out.'

"Do you have similar means of transport?"

"Of course we might not have something of similar design but we do, the more I see the more I am amazed at how far your civilization has progressed without the use of magic, I hope to see the glimpse of them even more."

Ryan smiled at her as he spoke, "I will try my very best."

Michalina simply send a respectful nod towards Ylerias as she turned towards Jessica and Nigella as she spoke, "Are you two ready?"

Jessica and Nigella nodded as Nigella spoke, "Yes commander."

Michalina nodded at that as she ushered the group away from the copter as she spoke towards Ylerias, "Your Holiness, staying too close towards the blade is not advisable so please let us move towards safety."

As Ylerias acquiesced at her demand as they moved descended down to safety only for Ryan to be taken aback at the sight of every occupant of their base huddled together trying to catch sight of the helicopter.

"I see unlike me who was simply curious your people seemed to be full of hope seeing the flying machine that you have created."

Ryan smiled slightly at that as he spoke, "I hope I am able to fulfill their hope, you know we were not accustomed to living like this and all of a sudden losing everything we had might be too much for us."

Ylerias nodded in agreement as she spoke, "So have you finished your planning, on how to ferry these people all the way to your home base, I hope you are not planning to leave them here."

Ryan shook his head as he replied back, "Of course not, I will ferry them back home, but I do not know how.", he then turned towards Ylerias as he spoke, "Can you fly using magic?"

Ylerias nodded at that as she spoke, "Yes you can, we even had vehicles that could fly using magic, though I will have to disappoint you because neither my guards nor I know how to enchant one."

"I hope that one day we meet one of those who could create such marvels and see one in action."

Soon the sound of helicopter's rotors moving at high speed was heard, as a small storm was unleashed and soon it was up in air climbing fast but surely up into the sky.

Ylerias send an appreciative look towards it as she spoke, "That was a wonderful display."

"My Lady all preparations have been completed."

Ylerias looked at the kneeling elven guard as she spoke, "Then tell others to gather near the entrance I will meet them there, now leave."

As the guard left Ryan could not help but ask out loud, "Are you leaving?"

Ylerias shook her head as she spoke, "I am heading out on a hunt we will be back in a few days time after all it is high time we begin to regain our strength."

Michalina frowned as she spoke, "Excuse me, Your Holiness, there is something that I want to ask of you."

As Ylerias gave her nod of consent Michalina continued, "You said 'Our Strength' does that mean you have a way to increase your people and your strength."

Ylerias nodded as she confirmed her question as she spoke, "Of course if you hunt down creatures you will gain an increase in your level, in fact after you are healed you should try it out."

Michalina frowned at that as she spoke, "I see though how will your people level up without the use of special stone."

Ylerias sighed as she spoke, "They will not but that does not mean you should stop trying to level up, because I know that most of my guards would gain many more levels when they finally get a chance to level up.", she sends a discreet glance towards others who were listening as she spoke, "How about this after I return we will have a discussion on it, I do not wish to waste daylight so it is high time for me to leave."

"Lady Ylerias if I may have a small request."

Ylerias looked at Ryan as she spoke, "What is it Lo... Ryan?"

'How long will I have to adhere to his request, of not calling him as his station dictates, it is getting rather ridiculous.'

"Lady Ylerias you are going to hunt a lot of creatures so if possible please bring as many hides as possible I wish to convert them into clothes as well as other things that we need desperately."

Ylearias nodded at that as she spoke, "Of course you are correct I will try my best to bring as much hide and meat as possible you have nothing to worry."

A few minutes later Ryan watched as the group of elves disappeared amongst the sea of trees as he turned towards his sister as he spoke, "So what now sis?"

"You can go and work on some project or retire with the rest of us to the radio room, and monitor the scouting mission."

Jessica looked down from the helicopter as Nigella spoke with a grimace, "It was just our luck that we were on higher grounds or else the camp would have been underwater, just look at that area where the broken trailer was, it is at the banks of the river."

Jessica smiled at Nigella as she pointed towards a certain direction drawing Nigella's attention, who looked towards it with her eyes narrowed before she spoke, "What are you pointing at, it looks …..", her jaw detached for a moment before she spoke with disbelief, "No way that was our temporary base, the same base where we faced the abomination and it is halfway underwater, I cannot believe it."

"Hey, Nigella I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Well hypothetically speaking if the apocalypse had not taken place, what do you think Ryan's bounty for destroying the oil terminal and collapsing the dam would be?"

Nigella gained a contemplative look on her face as she spoke, "Hypothetically speaking if the apocalypse had not taken place he would have been in the US to further his studies, so I do not see him blowing the Oil terminal and collapsing the Dam, not to mention the damage the explosion on the oil terminal would cause Navalach city, the flood which would have affected millions of people and thousands would have died."

"Just humor me Nigella."

Nigella sighed as she spoke while peering down towards the flooded region, "You must be really bored for thinking such hypothetical scenarios, but I would not be surprised if he had at least a hundred million dollars as his bounty."

"Nah I believe he would have even more."

Nigella snorted at that as she spoke, "Like our Government would pay that much."

Jessica wagged her fingers as she spoke, "Uh uh you forgot about taxes, they would have taxed you so heavily that you would have received peanuts even that would take decades for you to receive bypassing all the red tapes."

Nigella smirked back at her as she spoke, "You forgot the classic excuse, 'There are too much and too many expenses due to the disaster but do not worry we will pay you soon.'"

Jessica broke into a giggle as Ryan's voice came through the crackling of the radio, "Jessica, Nigella you know I can hear you and can feel the love."

His voice was followed by eh stern voice of Michalina, "Instead of engaging in useless banter you should focus on your mission and by the way Nigella I will say a little over five hundred million Kuwait Dinar at the bare minimum."

A stunned silence descended as the duo could only hear the thunderous sound of the copter only for Ryan's voice to shatter the silence, "How could you Michalina, why are you encouraging them."

"What I have done nothing, except state the obvious my brother is too good for a measly hundred million dollars bounty, it should be much more."

"That is not the point you want me to gain infamy as a terrorist."

Michalina tilted her head as she spoke, "But did you not like that anime where the more infamy the person had the higher the bounty and they would perceive as incredibly cool and awesome so I do not see why are you protesting."

An anguished cry was heard before Nikita's voice came to their ears, "I can now understand why Ryan broke your toes, healing you was a mistake."

The duo riding the helicopter could not help but laugh out loud only for their helicopter to shake as Jessica momentarily lost her control.

"Wah easy Jessica, Control be advised not to joke around too much, we are getting distracted."

Angela looked at Ryan as she spoke, "Ryan have you decided on what you are going to use."

Ryan sighed as he spoke, "I have some but ideas but I need to consult you all."

Michalina winced as she lifted her leg to rest on a chair as she spoke, "What is it Ryan?"

Ryan collected his thoughts at the moment as she spoke, "I have run various scenarios in my mind since we have arrived by following the river we know that the somehow the river has shifted and if we are to follow the water then we would reach the fort, but herein lies the problem, we are inland as such the usage of the sea is discarded and even after that the river is overflowing because of the flood, but in normal case some parts of it are knee-deep only not to mention the wonderful creatures so using the river to travel is out of the question, as the floodwater might subside and the flow may return to original and a ship that can carry over a thousand people is big and time-consuming to make."

As others nodded as Ryan continued, "The second case is by road now there are two problems I should like to point out one is we can have separate cars and the other is by land trai…"

"Land Train?!", an overexcited Angela interrupted Ryan, as she nearly gushed with happiness, "Of course a land train it would be cool."

Only for her happiness to simmer down as both Michalina and Nikita looked at her with their brows raised in confusion except Ryan who nodded at her as she spoke, "Yes I have thought of that."

"Can anyone explain to me what is a 'Land Train', it seems that both Nikita and I are clueless about it as the only thing that comes to my mind is a train and given the state of affairs I doubt we have any rails left for the train to move."

"No, big sis I am not talking about railways but a truck dragging enough trailers behind it that it is like a small train, and in fact, if I am not quite wrong it is also known as 'Road Train' and it is quite famous in Australia."

"I see bro so why don't you present before us its pros and cons, and then we will be able to decide which one to use."

Ryan nodded at that as he spoke, "Fair enough."