10

"I can't say any more than that," he says, " just get rid of it, if you don't want any trouble, that is" he adds and then resumes howling after customers. Logan is surprised and leaves the kiosk.

"Why are they all acting weird when they see it?" He asks within himself. Their mysterious reactions sparked his curiosity. "I need to know what they are hiding" he mutters and then continues meeting and asking other random people about the inscription on the ring.

A few hours later>>>>

It's already nightfall and Logan's incessant questioning has led him to the Jade Massage Spa. He stands in front, staring at the building and preparing himself to find out what he came here for in the first place. The building is quite the traditional Chinese building. With a chara roofing style, the spa is in the shape of a two-story pagoda, with traditional Chinese lanterns surrounding the premises. There are well-sculpted bushes studded with flowers also surrounding the premises.

"Hwweeww!" He exhales after taking a deep breath and walks in>>>>

________________________________________________________________

*** Inside the spa ***

With colorful lanterns and lights illuminating the room, the spa was truly a sight to behold. In it were courtesan-styled women, dressed in brilliantly colored hanfu. As Logan walks in, he is courteously greeted by two of the ladies, who are at the reception. A lot of bamboo can be seen featured in the interior decor of the place.

"Good evening sir" one of the ladies greets, with a captivating smile. Logan was a bit perplexed as he had never really been to a Chinese-themed place before.

"Uhm, good afternoon"

"Welcome to the Jade Massage Spa," the other says, "Now which of our services would you like to purchase?" She asks.

"Uhmmm, I'm not really....."

"We have regular full body massage. We also have the acupressure session. Can we also interest you in our acupuncture sessions? They've been rated five out of five by our customers" she says with a smile.

"Well, I was...."

"We also have an exclusive private service for a small extra price" the first one interjects.

" I came here to ask about something" Logan finally says.

"Yes sir? What is it?" One of them asks with her beaming smile still on.

'How in the world do they even smile for so long?'

Logan buries his hand into his pocket and pulls out the ring. "Here," he says as he places the ring on the receptionist's desk. "I've been trying to find out what the inscriptions on it mean," he says. The two women stare at themselves and back at him. Their smiles had begun to wane at this point until he spoke up again.

"Is there something wrong?" He asks.

"Uhmmm no no" one of them suddenly says, her smile beaming again. The other one was still staring at the ring, almost with shock in her eyes until the first one jabs her with her elbow, seemingly bringing her back to her senses.

"You see this is a very important ring," the first says as she takes it in her hand, " we'll analyze it and get it back to you," she says.

" And in the meantime, why don't you enjoy our exclusive service? We'll have our girls take good care of you" the other says.

"Girls" the receptionist calls, prompting over thirty girls to show up. The receptionist who beckoned on them, pointed out two of the girls to take Logan to a private service room. While Logan is distracted by the girls, she uses a couple of hand signs to communicate something to the girls, who nod in comprehension.

***A few moments later>>>>

Logan is now in the private service room with the two ladies. There is an empty massage bed right in the middle of the room. While Logan looks around the room, admiring the quality of the interior decor, the two girls behind him strip naked.

"This place is nice," he says as he looks up at the ceiling. Then turning round to see who he is talking to, he is taken aback when he sees them naked, kneeling on the floor.

"What in the world?!" He yells in response as he almost trips backward.

"What would you like us to do master?" They ask in child-like voices. Surprised as he is by this, his primal instincts begin to battle with his sense of reason.

'Something wasn't right about this' he thinks.

He sits on the bed and looks down at the floor, trying not to look at them. Noticing this they stand up and walk up to him.

"Stay back," he says against his body's wishes, but he is paid nothing but deaf ears. As they approach him, he closes his eyes shut, and soon.....

"Cling!"

The sound of a metal bar hitting someone can be heard from outside the room as Logan falls to the floor, unable to move.

"Wh.. what's happening?" He asks faintly as his eyes open slightly to a blurry sight. All he can see is a blurry image of the naked girls in front of him as his consciousness waned into a dark abyss of eigengrau.