The Hunter's arms were so tightly stretched that it would have been impossible for the man to feed himself. But to his surprise, the woman who entered the room with the food approached him to feed him.
She wore a long, elegant black dress, and when she got close to the Hunter, she simply pulled one strap, and the dress fell, revealing a body covered only by a tiny pair of black panties and a matching bra. The woman moved sensually, like an irresistible snake.
Ashlem looked at her, his instincts overpowering his resistance, and then said:
"Before my death, I'll have two meals in a row... Interesting."
"What do you think?" the woman asked.
"Unfortunately, the chains prevent me from feeling so I can say what I think."
The woman sat on Ashlem's lap and gave him the first piece of meat. The Hunter didn't waste time and devoured the food like a savage. She sent a second slice to his mouth, and he devoured it eagerly.
With every bite of meat, the woman moved on the man's lap.
"Looks like I'm killing one hunger and provoking another," Ashlem said after swallowing another piece.
"I see you are well aware of how things are going."
"Wait!" Ashlem suddenly said.
"At your command, prisoner of my lord."
Ashlem found the woman's words strange but ignored it because he wanted to gather some information before his supposed death, even though it made no sense, for he would die anyway.
"What is this place?"
"About such matters, I cannot answer, but my lord can."
"What do you mean, your lord?"
"Lord Nero, the Devourer of Souls."
"You mean..." Just as he was about to say more, the woman shut his mouth.
"Shut up and let's continue. You don't want to starve, do you?"
"Give me some wine."
The woman handed the wine to the Hunter, who drank the entire glass in one gulp.
"That's it," she said, looking deep into the Hunter's eyes and noticing a green color that soon disappeared.
"What is your name?" Ashlem asked, his face and voice filled with seriousness.
"Singla, Singla Krugerer."
"Singla," the Hunter repeated softly.
Singla continued feeding the man until he was satisfied. Ashlem's strength slowly returned, and she remained there, perhaps to ensure the Hunter was well-fed.
"Now I am ready to have a conversation with this so-called Devourer of Souls."
Singla took away the tray and everything she had used to feed Ashlem, and before leaving the small room, she said:
"We're not done yet, I'll be right back."
Ashlem's mind raced toward the conclusion he had drawn, and that excited him a little. Suddenly, a sharp headache struck him, bringing images into his mind. He saw fire consuming a city that looked like Moamba’s capital, Orge, and then a sword plunged into the ground, surrounded by fire and ashes. He shook his head, trying to disperse those visions, as they disturbed him without explanation.
He focused, and his facial expression changed suddenly and drastically, now showing an unusual seriousness. His eyes turned green for three seconds before returning to their original color. After that, he prepared to break the chains that kept him as a useless prisoner.
At that very moment, as he was trying, he heard footsteps approaching the room, causing the Hunter to pause and postpone his plan.
Singla entered, still wearing only tiny panties and a bra. She said nothing, simply went to him, sat on his lap provocatively. She kissed the corner of his mouth and ran her hands over the man's chest.
"Are you ready?" Singla asked. "Who do you desire the most?"
Ashlem didn't know how, but at that moment, he saw a beautiful woman he vaguely remembered from his past, with whom he had had a serious romantic relationship. He felt his energy being drained by Singla.
"Good job, good job!" said Nero, clapping his hands and entering the small room.
Singla climbed off Ashlem's lap and said:
"Sir, thank you very much. The job is done. Have mercy."
"Dismissed," said Nero, and Singla left the room wet.
"You bastard, what have you done to me?"
"Well, we just prepared the ground to carry out my intention. I know you're drained of strength again, but I'll give you two choices. The first is: do you prefer to die now, powerless, or would you rather recover your strength and die with dignity?" Nero said, stroking his jaw.
"Offering these two options shows that you're a man and seem to deal well with the matter of honor."
"I'd like to agree with you, but unfortunately, it's clear you don't know me."
"That forces me to agree; I don't know you. And that woman must be a witch, that's the only explanation," Ashlem said, pulling harder against his chains.
"Actually, no. You were terribly wrong. She is a succubus. I didn't expect you to miss something so simple."
"Damn it, using others for your goals."
"I have several allies who owe me favors, like her, and another example is Irrugay."
"Who is Irrugay?"
"That's the question I was waiting for you to ask. It proves I'm still on the right track, as your memory is still useless," Nero said and then smiled coldly.
After that, he brought his right hand to his sword, which always rested on his back, raised the white weapon, and positioned it to strike directly at the man's skull, intending to finish him off and absorb his energy and soul.
"Don't bother with the 'say your last words' talk because it won't be necessary," said Ashlem, and his words made Nero’s face become even more severe.
"You'll regret uttering those words, Hunter."
The sword danced with black energy, enveloping the entire blade, and Nero's eyes turned black, ready to devour the great Hunter of Moamba.