This luxurious house was Helena's new residence, just one kilometer from her workplace. She woke up lying on her stomach atop a velvet bed to the sound of a mechanical alarm far larger than any she had ever seen before. Prominent brass and silver gears protruded from it, used for setting the time.
The alarm contained thirty-two hours, making a full day sixty-four hours long roughly three Earth days.
So far, only a single day had passed here, yet the sheer weight of everything that had happened felt exactly like three full Earth days. The realization made Helena pause, a strange feeling settling over her.
Even though the house was already fully furnished, she still had to move her belongings from her old apartment. She added that to her list of tasks for the day.
She headed to her new job…
Following Jaspen's steps, Helena walked with a light heart, pleased by her generous starting salary and convinced that her work would be easy.
Between corridors lit by glowing crystal skulls, she stopped in front of a door on the second floor. Written in the local language were the words: "Rudy's Office."
Finally, she would meet this person. Jaspen knocked three precise times, waited for permission, and opened the door.
"I've brought her, sir."
Rudy looked Helena up and down, then turned back to the person he had been talking with. They were discussing some kind of match, and their argument continued for several minutes while Jaspen and Helena waited. When the man finally left, he glanced at Helena. She recognized his build immediately he was one of the people who had ambushed her before and knocked her unconscious.
Helena swallowed her reaction.
Rudy stood up calmly, took hold of her shoulders, tilted her head, and opened her eyes wide. He stared into them. Helena felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Rudy was strikingly handsome—light triangular jaw, ice-blue eyes, pale skin, blond hair, and the physique of a bodybuilder. He was even taller than she was. He flashed a pearl-white smile at her obvious shyness and said:
"Hmm… there's a difference besides the eye color. Well, as a field agent it would be a waste if you didn't have something to defend yourself with, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Ahm."
"What?"
Jaspen whispered,
"Sir."
"Yes, I suppose so, sir."
Rudy chuckled, glancing at Jaspen. "I think she's embarrassed."
"I'm not!" Helena replied quickly.
"Good, good. Just relax… You're a Hectotype, Helena, but we'll start by seeing how you handle ordinary talismans."
They took an elevator heading underground. After passing several identity checks and security points, they reached a heavy metal gate. Once their identities were verified, the gate opened.
Inside, waves of different energies and sensations washed over her joy, suffering, and other strange feelings. Rudy called out:
"Pamila… Pamila!"
Helena felt the air around her grow colder. A white cloudy mass began to form, and from it emerged a completely naked female ghost floating in the air, her appearance seductively alluring.
"Yes, my dear Rudy… Huh? Who is this?"
"Check for yourself."
The ghost drifted closer and touched Helena's face. Her hands were so icy that Helena felt her hair stand on end and against her will her cock twitch. The ghost said:
"Eww… a futanari. Wait, can I have children with her…?"
Rudy cut her off. "Stop talking nonsense."
The ghost brought her cold hand forward and suddenly pierced straight through Helena's head. Helena flinched in fear, jerked backward, and retreated quickly to escape the sudden freezing tickling sensation. Annoyed, she snapped:
"Can't I have any personal space?!
You're all acting like you've never seen a futanari before!"
"Are there natural futanari on Earth?"
"Um… no."
"Then shut up and let us touch you. So, Pamila, do you have anything for this failed experiment?"
Pamila floated in circles, thinking, then noticed Helena's untrimmed nails.
"I have something."
She drifted away into the darkness while Rudy, Jaspen, and Helena walked to the center of the room. The marble floor was so clean it almost looked like a mirror. In the middle stood what appeared to be a small laboratory.
Pamila returned carrying a sealed box.
"The natural talisman for Griffes swords.
Amm… are you sure about this, Pamila?"
"She's a Hectotype. If she cuts herself, it'll regenerate. Why are you worried?"
"Who knows? She might scratch her head and die."
Pamila looked at her. "She's smarter than to die in such a stupid way."
Rudy signed the box and wrote today's date beside several previous ones:
3/13/6202 09:51
He placed his hands on both sides of the box. A soft click sounded as it opened. He lifted the lid, revealing hundreds of coiled metal wires shaped like nail accessories.
Rudy picked one up and slipped it over the nail of his index finger. The accessory vanished completely, as if it had never existed. His natural nail transformed into a metallic one that grew longer. Helena watched in amazement this was the first time she had seen anything like it.
He took a sheet of paper and passed the now blade-like nail through it. The paper parted silently, as if sliced through thin air. He returned the nail to normal, placed his index finger on Helena's forehead, and said:
"Imagine if I released this inside your skull… instant death. True, Hectotypes can regenerate, but a brain injury can still be fatal. This thing is dangerous. If you're not careful, you'll only hurt yourself instead of others."
He pulled the nail off, took nine more pieces, and sealed the box again with his aura.
"Thank you, Pamila."
Pamila checked the seal and floated back to her place.
Rudy continued,
"These talismans are harvested from Griffes demons that live in the Adnerson Caves north of the city.
For your information, Helena, talismans are objects that contain Beyond neural cells connected to the astral world. These cells are arranged so the object behaves in a specific way when you target it. Your consciousness connects to them and commands them to activate according to your will. Here, try it."
Rudy handed her one talisman. It felt as cold as Pamila's touch thick silver wire coiled like a human fingertip. He fitted it onto her index finger and said:
"Look at the talisman and mentally command it to grow. Focus your order inside it."
Helena did so. Slowly, her nail began to lengthen.
"More focus. It's easy."
She concentrated harder. Her nail grew faster, transforming into a silver blade ten centimeters long. It wasn't its full length, but she was delighted. She moved her hand, testing strikes. She passed it through a strand of her own hair. It wasn't as sharp as Rudy's, but it would do. She practiced a few motions then the talisman suddenly detached from her finger.
The sudden pain made Helena twist and scream. The nail did not return to normal; it remained a blade, lodged where her nail had been. Blood poured heavily onto the floor.
"I told you it was dangerous, and you kept playing with it. Imagine if it were something that transforms the whole body."
Pamila returned with bandages, disinfected Helena's finger, and gave her painkillers while other ghosts appeared to clean the floor. This place was clearly a haunt for spirits.
Rudy went on, "Now let's teach you how to hide it."
Without even putting it on, the tool vanished from Rudy's palm and his middle fingernail grew.
"This is compressed energosoma literally part of a Griffes demon's soul, specifically the finger portion and its responsible neural cells. Keep this information: poorly made or difficult-to-harvest talismans may contain fragments of the creature's memories… or worse, parts of its consciousness. The ones I personally made with Pamila's spirit have no side effects except those the user might cause themselves."
He gave her another talisman.
"Now focus on it and imagine your hand swallowing it."
Helena opened her hand. She felt the wire slide inside, moving between muscle and tendon. She kept concentrating until it disappeared completely.
"Now cancel your focus and move your hand as if nothing is there."
She released her focus. The metal wire seemed to dissolve and scatter inside her body. She moved her hand and examined it from both sides.
"You're actually good at this, Helena."
"Thank you, sir."
He handed her the rest of the pieces. She swallowed them into her body one by one, bid Pamila farewell, and left.
Rudy issued a statement for the talismans and, while they walked down the corridor, suddenly said:
"Oh, I almost forgot—these blades get sharper the longer they grow, but the longer they are, the more fragile they become. As for your injured finger, wait until it heals. You're a Hectotype; your nail will regenerate in less than a day."
"What do I do if it breaks, sir?"
"Request a new one. Actually, you can repair it with your aura through what we call energy healing, but that's an advanced level for you… For now, you two are going on a mission."