Time Jacker by Aaron Crash (nonfiction book recommendations .TXT) 📕

Jack focused the hand cannon on the demons. Those Ratling Fugs were nasty, but they simply weren’t that big.

And Gabby had her horn in her left hand, ready to blow. That was what had everyone rethinking simply attacking Jack and the women.

Bailey stood with her war pick on her shoulder. “No Exoria from you two. One word, and Jack is going to blow your head off.”

Gudzu stepped back, a big green dick flapping between his thighs. “Jack. This Jack. Wields the mighty gun—the gun that was lost to the Cast Away, Gone Astray, long, long ago and forever in the future. The Eternity Cannon that would start the war and end it. We’ve heard talk. Yes, we’ve heard rumor. The war is in the minute.”

Carpitia’s spiked spear appeared in her hand. “The war is in the minute! Already here but never coming and always has been.”

The Ratling Fugs crawled across the table, scattering the money. They were coming, eyes on Jack.

“Call off your rats,” Jack said. “We can talk about it.”

“Give us the angel to eat!” Gudzu grunted. “Then, yes, we talk. For we can’t trust you if that filthy pigeon woman is with you!”

“I am not a pigeon!” Gabby’s good nature was gone. She lifted the horn and blew. The sound flung the ratlings back against the wall. One exploded in a splatter of blood.

The death demons had dropped their weapons, put their hands over their ears, and ducked. The mass of the blast went through the people there. And the table wasn’t affected. It seemed that Gabby could control who her horn affected and who it spared.

Jack figured it would come to this.

He aimed and fired his own load into one of the ratlings. He was surprised to see half the thing’s head melt off. A fresh batch of Kairos filled him, and he was pleased to see a good portion of energy both fill him and manage to get into his tank.

Current Kairos: 200/200

Potential Auxiliary Storage: 33/100

Jack was happy that his gun could work without any sort of magical bullet. And at least he could kill Fugs.

Bailey stormed forward and flung the chains connected to her war pick around Gudzu. She had the links around his throat. The froggish demon slammed her into the wall, crashing through the drywall.

Gabby went forward to slash at Carpitia with her sword. The willowy demon, as naked as the froggy, had a patch of green pubic hair between her withered thighs.

Jack didn’t have a shot there, but he did with Gudzu. The demon was fat, and Bailey was thin enough that Jack felt comfortable taking a shot at him. Jack thumbed back the hammer, the cylinder clicked over one, and he fired. The gun thundered, blowing more smoke, which already hung like a mist near the ceiling.

The bullet hit the frog, but it didn’t pierce that gray-green skin.

“Jack!” Bailey called out. “Use one of the magic bullets!”

It would take a minute to find the right chamber. Instead, Jack changed targets. A ratling was inches from ripping his legs to shreds. Jack lowered the pistol and removed the Fug’s head. The last ratling leapt. Jack fired and missed. The claws ripped through his jacket and into his skin.

Current Corpus: 188/200

Jack grabbed the rat by the throat and shoved the pistol into the creature’s chest. Jack thumbed back the hammer and pulled the trigger. Thunder filled his ears and smoke blurred his vision.

Potential Auxiliary Storage: 58/100

Jack blinked and saw the hole he’d blown in the Fug’s chest.

He was good with Kairos, but his chest was bleeding badly. He could feel it soaking his shirt and running down to his jeans.

Jack had fired four shots, but he hadn’t felt the Eternity Cannon’s true power, nor had he been given the opportunity to convert the energy. That meant his next bullet should be one of the enchanted rounds.

He charged forward. “Bailey, grab his sword, now!”

Bailey let go of the chain and rolled away from the frog demon, though it meant tearing up her blouse. All their clothes were getting shredded.

Bailey seized the demon’s hand, but she was right in front of Jack.

He rammed himself into her, slammed the revolver’s barrel into the green demon’s froggy mouth. Another trigger pull, and the demon lost his skull. Brains splattered the wall behind them. At the same time, Bailey wrenched the scimitar away.

Jack staggered back as strange dark energy struck him.

Then he saw a message that was familiar:

A SURPLUS OF NEFESH AND DECAYSIA IS AVAILABLE!

ACTIVATE STORAGE?

CONVERSION OPTIONS?

Jack went on instinct and addressed the pistol by name. “Aeterna, use the Nefesh to top off my Corpus. Use the Decaysia to max my auxiliary storage with Kairos.”

He didn’t hear an answer, but he saw the results immediately.

Current Kairos: 200/200

Current Corpus: 200/200

Potential Auxiliary Storage: 100/100

The pain was gone in his chest, and he knew his wounds were closed. With full Corpus, his flesh had been fixed in an instant. And he had plenty of Kairos now. There was no danger of running out any time soon, and that meant no headaches.

He’d also confirmed something: There was a huge difference between using the enchanted rounds versus normal lead.

With the stats still in his vision, Jack scrambled across the table, spilling more money off the table.

Gabby and Carpitia were circling, the willowy demon with the green pubic hair and saggy tits jabbing at the angel with the long spear. Carpitia’s mouth was open to show two rows of teeth, like a shark, jagged and sticking out in all directions. Her gums and tongue were a dark green. “Gudzu gone back to the void. Carpitia will join him. I’ve had my fun, and that fun is over, unless we deal and deal well.”

She stepped back, spear trembling in her hand.

Jack was on the floor, standing in hundred-dollar bills, pointing the pistol at the demon. “What do you have that we don’t?”

Gabby had her horn ready, and Bailey had the scimitar. The three