The sun had barely begun to rise when we gathered around the table in the central tent. I was still rubbing sleep from my eyes when Raven slammed a mug of steaming tea in front of me.
"Wake up, Jade. We've got work to do," she said, her tone both commanding and comforting.
Gandalf and Garrick were already hunched over the map spread out before us. The map, covered in strange symbols and demonic runes, looked like something straight out of a nightmare.
"These wards are some serious shit," Gandalf muttered, scratching his beard. "We need someone who knows their way around dark magic to help us break them."
I nodded, taking a sip of the bitter tea. "So, where do we find this expert?"
Garrick spoke up, his scar catching the light. "There's an old mage named Thaddeus who lives in the mountains. He's...eccentric, but if anyone can help us, it's him."
