This is one of those stories that is basically a D&D adventure in book/comic form, and as a longtime TTRPG player, I always love these stories. My favorite thing here is the party dynamic, the found family vibes, and Orrig being the best party Dad ever. There are also all those fun little details about how adventuring is organized in these setting, with lots of bureaucracy and forms around it, and for some reason, I dig this kind of thing.

Mostly though, the story focuses on the first adventure Thistle, the mysterious masked magic user, has with the party: protecting a magic school during mass demon summonings that go dreadfully wrong. On the surface, this looks like a regular action-y adventure plot, but the way demons (the Drath) are handled here goes pretty deep into the realm of anxiety and feeling of self-worth or lack thereof. These creatures are as insidiously evil as demons should be, and the real harm they deal isn't physical. I really liked how these concepts were handled here.

I also appreciated the way the plot was constructed, moving between a later, smaller adventure and this initial one the party has together, the epilogue and all the promises it holds, and, of course, the vivid, gorgeous art. I did feel like there were a few small parts that felt rushed/under-explored, but overall, this was a really engrossing read.