Chimper #1540
Asakura the Dreadbound was once the most beloved cook in The Crystal Highlands of Armaria. Their stall, nestled near the wizards' fortress, was famous for pastries that captured the sunset in crystallized sugar. While foraging for shimmering salts, they found a different kind of mineral: oily black, utterly non-reflective, and cold to the touch. Driven by an inexplicable impulse, they ground a sliver of it into their dough. The results were euphoric. Chimps traveled for weeks just for a taste. But Asakura had changed. Their once-warm eyes became fixed and vacant, their cheerful exclamations now sounding hollow and frantic. They still wear their captain’s hat, but the gesture seems less proud and more automatic. Nobody dares ask what the secret ingredient is.
