Found by Fortune

Part 1

I woke up quite exhausted. Every muscle in my body was aching with pain. 

The memory of my clash with the high orc came to mind.

I was relieved after knowing that I had survived.

Suddenly, I heard an unfamiliar voice. Which brought me back to my senses.

"You're awake! I was starting to lose hope." A gentle voice, laced with relief, cut through the haze.

Wary, I scanned my surroundings. My gaze landed on a woman. Human, yes, but unlike any I had encountered before. Her long red hair cascaded down her back, mirroring the unusual crimson hue of her eyes.

She wore a mage's robe, the fabric flowing around her figure.A powerful staff, topped with a large mana stone, rested in her hand.

I was about to speak when another voice cut in, laced with amusement.

"Don't fret! We pulled you back from the brink. Looked like you were about to meet your maker, eh?" 

A young man who seemed older than me, clad in gleaming iron armor and sporting a fancy sword at his hip, smirked at him.

A quick glance revealed two more figures.

An elf, her light brown hair framing a face adorned with pointed ears, stood with a bow and short sword at her ready. Her brown eyes held a quiet alertness.

Beside her, a dwarf, stocky and powerful, gripped a massive axe almost as tall as himself.

The initial shock of being surrounded by strangers started to wear off.

I needed to focus.

"We found you," the woman continued, her eyes holding a depth of curiosity, "but who are you, and what were you doing out there?"

Looking at them, they seemed to be adventurers. I was also searching for a group so that I can leave the forest.

There was no reason to lie to them, so I decided to come clean.

"I am a survivor." These words came out of my mouth, even before I could think anything.

"Survivor! We know that. Tell us something new boy." 

The dwarf spoke while drinking something.

"I mean, survivor from the army whose mission was to take Maldor."

"Ohhhh! so, how did you end up here?" The man asked.

After this question, I told them about my story of how did I ended up here. I started from the battle which took place at Maldor, than how I jumped in the river and when I woke up I was in the forest.

I also told them about the fate of the adventurers party that had fallen at the hands of the goblins.

And at last, I told them about my encounter with the high orc who crushed the gaint serpent. 

I told them everything about the fight leaving the unusual incident of the unknown voice hidden, as it will only raise suspicion.

"You were lucky."

"Yes, I was."

"So, survivor would you be kind enough to give us your name."

The drwaf said with a mischievous tone.

Part 2

After stating my name to them. They also intoduced themselves.

The red haired woman name was Lirien. She was a mage. She was 19 years of age. She was kind and friendly.

The man name was Zane. He was a swordsman of the party, after getting to know him he was quite friendly and was 21 years old.

The elf name was Aria. She kept her distance from me and seemed to be on guard around me. She did not talk much.

The dwarf was a bit drunk. His name was Durgin despite him being short he carried the massive axe as tall as himself. So, he must be quite powerfull.

After chatting with them, I came to knew that I indeed was in the old forest. But the better news was that I was in the Sindhiria province.

The old forest was quite large and river moor passes through it. It ws divided into two. One part was in the Ashillia while other in the demons land.

"Why are you here in the forest?"

I asked Zane the question to know more about their purpose of wandering this old forest.

Zane shrugged, a playful grin spreading across his face.

"We're adventurers, after all. Someone's gotta do it, right?"

"Actually," Durgin rumbled, his voice thick with drink, "we're here to take down a wyvern that's been spotted in the area."

Wyverns were the lesser breeds of dragons, they have two legs and two wings. Usually smaller than dragons, but still formidable predators. They have thick hides or scales that offer some protection against attacks.

While dragons are intelligent and even capable of speech. They can be cunning and powerful magic users.

Wyverns are more animalistic and ferocious, lacking the intelligence of dragons.

Wyverns weren't solitary creatures. They soared through the mountain skies in packs, their territorial screeches echoing through the valleys below.

My heart skipped a beat. A wyvern. I vaguely recalled seeing one soaring through the sky on the day of the battle before I plunged into the river. Could it be the same one?

Perhaps, it was the same one.

"Wyvern? In a forest? Why would it be here?"

Durgin shrugged again.

"Who cares? Makes the job more interesting."

"Intresting... How?"

Zane chuckled. "The more difficult the task, the more we get paid. That's the life of an adventurer, my friend."

After some moments they started packing their supplies. I also wanted to go with them as I did not knew the forest.

Before I could voice my request, Lirien surprised me. 

"Will you join us, Senjar?" She asked, her eyes filled with a curious glint.

A wave of relief washed over me. It seemed like she had read my mind.

"Of course,"

 I replied, a smile tugging at my lips.

Lirien's expression seemed to brighten at my answer, a flicker of something akin to excitement dancing in her crimson eyes.

My respect for her increased.