Jikouji exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"A ruby eh? There will likely be one in the other arm."
Gengyo commented, not quite as excited as the rest of them. He had never cared much for jewellery and the like. To him, this was simply a rock – albeit a rock that would sell for a pretty price.
Rokkaku nodded. He could already see the other glistening red gem, and he moved to pry it free with the point of his dagger, though when he handed the gems over to Nakatane he did so reluctantly.
"Don't look so disappointed. I'll give you each a cut of the coin we sell this for. The more we find, the bigger your rewards."
That brightened his spirit, and he renewed his search with a glint in his eye, keen to find more goods. The rest of the men overheard and moved to do the same.
"I think we've found everything this room has to offer. Let's move on."
Gengyo suggested, motioning toward the two stone archways that sat either side of the throne.
Nakatane nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's get going then."
They headed through the archway on the left, choosing it at random. They reasoned they could explore the other one later. But as it turns out the two gateways lead to exactly the same place. It was a small area with a high roof. There was nothing of note apart from a spiral staircase that sat in the middle of a stone wall.
There were two choices, up or down. There was no spoken discussion on which they should choose first, as they simply followed the master that headed upwards.
The wooden planks of the stairs creaked under the weight of their bodies, but it held out and allowed them to reach the second floor.
This floor was more like that of a normal house, as long as you ignored the balcony view that it afforded of the throne room. The ceiling stretched out high above it, continuing on until it met a series of beams, and a view of the underside of the roof's tiles.
Given the roof above them, it seemed this was the highest floor. It was home to a great many rooms, as one looked around there were around 16 doors scattered, each with a good distance in between so the rooms would be sizeable.
These doors were of a western hinged style, and the majority hung open at least a fraction. The wooden floor was partially carpeted in red, and there did not seem to be any tatami insight. Whilst not very Japanese, it was undoubtedly stylish, and with the numerous potted plants placed here and Gengyo found it was very much like a hotel.
Not giving voice to such a thought, he instead spoke to his men.
"Search each room as you please. Of course, look for valuables, but if you encounter a person, detain them and shout. If you are unable to detain them without putting yourself at risk, then it is fine to draw blood."
"Yes, sir!"
With a few replies confirming that they had received the instruction, the men started to split up and search the rooms. Some went individually, some went together.
"Are you not going to join them?"
Nakatane asked, as Gengyo remained behind with him and Jikouji.
"No, something has caught my eye."
He spoke, moving forward as he did so. His movements conveyed a purpose, as though he knew exactly where he was going, prompting a second question.
"What has?"
"Every door on this floor is open, except for one."
He pointed to a door that sat directly opposite the staircase. Whilst the other doors were a dark brown varnished wood, this one was almost black, and was studded with metal in places. It's position and it's appearance were more than enough to arouse suspicion.
They arrived by the door, and Gengyo pushed out with a palm to test it. The thing did not budge in the least, confirming that as well as being shut, it was also locked. Judging by the large keyhole that sat in the very centre of the door, they would not be able to open it without a key.
"Rokkaku!"
The young man called out.
A head stuck out from the door of one of the rooms.
"Yes, Miura-san?"
"Do you still have your axe with you? There's something that needs breaking."
"Oh, if it's something breaking you need, then I'm more than glad to help!"
He moved toward them enthusiastically, drawing the woodcutters axe that hung at his waist, and leaning his polearm against the wall. They had been prepared to cut through the thick doors that made up the gate of the house – this door was measly in comparison, and the resistance it offered would certainly not be enough.
"This door here. Thanks for the help, Rokkaku-san."
"My pleasure!"
He heaved his axe upwards, before striking toward the door with his entire weight behind it. The blade was met with a satisfying crunch as chunks of wood splintered everywhere.
With the second swing a solid crack had formed in the door, and after a strong kick, it burst open, revealing the interior.
The men stood stunned for a moment at the unexpected sight.
"Am I… in heaven?"
Rokkaku wondered aloud as he stared forwards, taking in everything.
The room stank of a strong perfume that clung to their throat causing them to gag. It was bad enough that it warranted a hand over the mouth to act as a makeshift gas mask.
The room was dominated by a large four-poster bed. It was almost double the size of a normal king-sized bed, and could likely easily fit around 8 people. It looked mightily comfortable as cushions were strewn about everywhere, of varying colours. The wooden floor was covered by a thick fur rug that undoubtedly was extremely pleasant to walk on barefoot.
There were no windows in the room however, and it was lit entirely by candlelight. A fire dwindled miserably in the hearth, seemingly having run out of wood. But it was not as though the room was cold. In fact, it was pleasantly warm, which did make sense since the door had been closed so firmly.
It was without a doubt Toda's bedroom. No other room would warrant locking. That meant that it had been closed for a good couple of days.
But none of those things drew their attention. Not even the bedside cabinet - that was sure to contain some goodies - could tear their eyes away from the sight that they held before them.
Like a family of cats, the most beautiful women one could ever hope to see lay about. Their seating arrangements were not limited to the bed, nor was it limited to sitting at all. Most lay on their backs as though they had experienced the most pleasurable thing in the world, each looking entirely relaxed.
As they charged in, the she-cats merely regarded them with big round eyes, and a few blinks, before sighing in pleasure and resuming their relaxing.
That alone would be seductive enough in itself, but coupled with their attire – which was so scant, that they may as well have worn nothing at all – it was a killer combination. They wore thin silks that were all but transparent, each with a different colour. A green, a red, a yellow… almost as if that colour was all there was to their identity.
The women were young, for a certainty, but not so young as to be prepubescent, evident by the full pair of b.r.e.a.s.ts each of them sported.
Their jaws were all but on the floor, but as soon as they had time to process exactly what they were seeing, both Nakatane and Jikouji lowered their gazes. Rokkaku did not even pretend to show any discretion and merely kept staring as though he was trying to record every detail.
Gengyo glanced around the room, his expression neutral, and his eyes cold. With their initial attention captured by the perfect figures before them, not a single one of them noticed the sixth woman that hid behind the remnants of the broken door, a fire poker raised.
Her and Gengyo locked gazes. Even when compared the angelic she-cats that lay in the rest of the room, she was a good deal more beautiful. She hair of the deepest black, large round eyes, high cheekbones, and big full lips. As though that were not enough, she had the most ravishing curves that any man could wish to lay eyes on, with large firm b.r.e.a.s.ts, and a plump bottom.
But contrary to the heat that such a women would insight in most men, she was met by Gengyo's overwhelming coldness.
"I do not recommend doing that, young lady."
His voice was calm, and lacked any trace of fear. She glanced toward the fire poker in her hand. Suddenly it seemed to grow a good deal smaller, and she lowered her arm slowly, letting it slide from her grip.
"Who… are you?"
She asked meekly, her voice trembling.
"Not Toda. And you?"
"…Ishiabera."
'Is she trying to say Isabella?'
"A western name? Fine. What's wrong with these women?"
"They're… fine. Just dim-witted. Toda-sama was kind enough to take them in."
He tutted lightly, stepping past one of the women that was splayed out on the floor, regarding him sleepily. He approached a draping red cloth, and cut it free from the bedpost.
"Wear this. Cover yourself up."
He threw it towards the woman who had introduced herself as Isabella. It was only then that she looked down on herself, and offered a slight blush. It seemed that she was so used to dressing so lightly that she had forgotten it was abnormal.
He proceeded to do the same for each of the she-cats, though some threatened to roll out of it, but it only took a stern glare to render them obedient.
The other three men struggled to calm down after the bodies were covered up, but it had felt a little inhumane to cover their faces as well, and each of them was a heart-breaking beauty, so it could not be helped that their hearts still raced. Rokkaku looked disappointed and had even opened his mouth to protest, only closing it once he realized just what he was about to say.
"Now that we can look where we wish to freely, let's try and piece this together, shall we?"
He said that in an attempt to hurry Nakatane and Jikouji into collecting themselves. They both hesitated a moment, before nodding vigorously, eager to cover up their uncertainty.
"Very well. Are we you slaves, Isabella?"
His perfect pronunciation of the name that she had attempted to deliver caught her off guard slightly, but she still managed a slippery response.
"No… we're well taken care of."
"Isabella, these women are on drugs. I do not think they have much choice in the matter."
She physically took a step back as he hit the nail on the head, quivering slightly.
"No! Not drugs. Toda-sama would never – they're just slow in the head."
Gengyo tutted once more, turning to Jikouji.
"You once told me that Toda was involved in all manner of nefarious dealings. Do you know anything about any drug-related activities?"
"No, he kept his illicit activities very well under wraps"
"I thought as much…"
The young man glanced around the room. He reasoned that the substance would be fairly obviously placed, as these stupefied women were able to find it. Or perhaps it was administered by Isabella. Either way, it would be present in the room as the door had been locked the a good few days.
He noticed one of the women toying with a large jar, as though it were the most precious thing in the world. Following his gaze, Isabella grew a good deal more anxious.
'So this is it, eh?'
He picked up the bronze pot, and removed the lid swiftly, revealing a strong-smelling, fine brown powder.
"Opium."
He stated matter-of-factly.
//Author's Note
And so we begin down the rabbit hole of all of Toda's dealings. I hope no one felt too uncomfortable as I was describing the appearance of the women. I tried to do it as straightforwardly as a I could, but if you felt I could have done a better job, do let me know.
Thanks for reading!! :)