Ruchiru

What does hunger feel like when you no longer need to eat? Ruchiru contemplates this every cycle, as the familiar ache pulls them toward the same fissure in The Underworld. It is a curse they say is shared by another, a warrior named Otto in some far-off mountain, this insatiable craving for one specific thing. For Ruchiru, it's the Cinder Blooms that sprout from cooled lava flows. Their chimpborg eye scans the petals, registering only mineral content and heat signatures. But the ancient, decayed part of them must obey. They chew the bloom, tasting nothing but warm ash and memory. The craving subsides for a time, leaving only the crimson glow of the sky and the quiet hum of their own machinery.