Dagger Mountain

By J.D. Rico

Coming from a depressing dark past, Dagger Mountain seems to have finally found happiness with his beloved Sonia. As the days get closer to his wedding, many mysteries begin to unravel. Answers to the origin of nightmare dragons that attacked years ago draw him in to plan a venture outside the lands of Junos. Thinking things will finally work out, on the day of his wedding, Sonia goes missing. After hours of searching, he stumbles upon an old nature elf that offers to help him in exchange for his soul. After the deal is completed, the Underworld gets unleashed upon the earth, and all humans vanished—all humans except Dagger. With new magic he can't explain, it's up to him to fight through the hordes of demons and make it to the Underworld to restore the earth to how it was. But can he succeed while dealing with his own demons?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9781644241608

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Dagger Mountain

J.D. Rico

Copyright © 2019 J.D. Rico

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc. 2019

ISBN 978-1-64424-159-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64424-161-5 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64424-160-8 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

To my family.

Thank you for feeding my imagination.

Prologue

Avast amount of light-years away, there is a universe trapped between pockets of space and time. This universe holds a planet called earth. Earth is watched over by seven gods who reside in the Holy Kingdom. The Holy Kingdom is constructed entirely of thick, lush, and vivid clouds. The ground, or floor, in this case, is made of solid clouds, and there are no houses, just bundles of clouds. No matter the time, it always looked like ten o’clock, the best time of the day for anything. Standing in the center, you could walk a quarter mile in any direction. The only thing not made up of clouds was an enormous metal gate that was toward the back. The gods were tasked with many different responsibilities but did have one coinciding objective: to guard the large gate. Nothing must ever go in; nothing must ever come out. One fateful day, Erland, the leader of the seven holy gods, created two female spirits who were going to journey to earth so that they can grow the spiritual essence of the human world. The first spirit was named the spirit of peace and the second the spirit of knowledge. The one tasked to escort them to earth was a high-ranking captain named Oath.

While traveling to earth, Oath began to flirt with the spirit of knowledge. The two became distracted from the mission bestowed upon them as they descended to earth. When they reached earth, they sought their temptation and traveled to a location no gods could see. The spirit of peace decided to take the time to find out where she could begin to help earth and headed out alone. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t get too far. She was surrounded by demons and was slain without mercy. The leader of the demon pack absorbed her spiritual powers and became stronger. The demons then found Oath and the spirit of knowledge and attacked them. Oath would have made rubble of these demons, but while on earth, holy gods are only allowed a fraction of their power. The spirit of knowledge did not survive the ambush and Oath had no choice but to run away.

When he returned to the Holy Kingdom and told them the devastating news, Erland was outraged. The spirit of peace was soon to birth the first new god in ages. Oath was ashamed, for he was a high-ranking god. He was ready to return to earth and find justice for his own doing, but the Holy Kingdom altogether refused that he’d go and do such acts of hatred. Oath was distraught. He was always praised but now shamed in front of everyone, only to be slapped on the wrist and arrested for a brief time. The two spirits were to guide humans for generations, and the power invested in them could only be created once in a thousand years. You see, they weren’t exactly in the same category of the seven gods I talked about before. The gods can create just about anything needed that can aid earth. For this ceremony, Erland created the spirits, and now with enough conserved energy, he and the spirit of peace were going to bring light to a new god.

Oath was now full of rage and because he sought punishment struck Erland. It was the first time a fight between gods ever happened. It was then that he knew the demons had poisoned him with rage and darkness. He forfeited his title and fled. After days of searching for solitary confinement, he found solitude in a prison cell deep within another realm called the Underworld. There he believed he was giving himself justice, and in his eyes, he was protecting the Holy Kingdom from himself. Each day he thought of the spirits who were slain and the new god who never was born to Erland. So that brings us to over two thousand or so years into the present time, where we follow the story of the descendant of that new god, who, I will tell you now, as true as the beauty of the Holy Kingdom, did survive that fateful day.

Chapter 1

Dagger Mountain

The Underworld is a vile place. Here, demons rule an infinite realm, but with certain limitations. It is entirely encased in rocks like a cave with no exit. It is also obnoxiously massive, and every other street reeks of garbage. Mounts and zip line are used to get from one end to the other. All the houses and buildings are all made of stones and metals. At a glance, it may seem like a dump, but there is one sophisticated piece of architecture in the center, and that is where the demon lord lives. His castle is the most prominent structure in the Underworld. Right above his castle, at the very center of the ceiling of the Underworld, glowed a giant red crystal. It would glow like a red moon for the demons.

There is no day and there is no night in the Underworld. Demons would sleep whenever they were just tired. The Underworld had over four hundred thousand demons and counting. Many built their homes on the outermost walls of the Underworld, and many had their homes built way underground. The higher up a demon lived, the higher rank they had. Unbeknown to the demons parading and demonizing the lands, at the depths of the Underworld, there was a prison cell that was the last point in its realm. The point where no demon could break the stone underneath them. In this very prison cell lay three fortunate souls destined to meet one another. One you may already know of.

How they were imprisoned was kept quiet, but what transpired next made it in all the history books.

Chained to the wall was a young man with dark-purple hair, fair skin, and a sophisticated soldier’s build. He wore armor that was utterly beaten and stained with blood. The mixture of his blood and the demon blood all over him began to give off a nasty, potent smell. Cuts and bruises on him suggested he didn’t just fight one type of demon. He must have fought demons with giant claws, giant fist, and sharp blades. His hands were stiff and drenched in dark-green blood.

The air became colder as Dagger’s eyes closed. Whether it was to keep the blood away from his eyes or to find some solitude behind his eyelids, at a glance, he looked defeated. With his eyes shut, he felt a moment of tranquility that he hadn’t felt in a long time. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten in weeks. All he could taste was the oozing green demon blood in his mouth. He wanted desperately to scrub the blood from his mouth, but he was abruptly reminded he could do no such thing. The demon he took a bite out of made sure he had the most reliable chains holding him. In all his years, he had never heard of any tale ending so horribly. He had only one chance to stop the madness in his world, and he had failed.

As a tear colder than the air in the room made its travel down his face, he felt the warmth of cloth on his lips. Going in and out of consciousness, he finally was able to hold on long enough to open his eyes again and see the one behind the good deed. It was Cane. Cane cleaned the blood entirely off Dagger’s face, with a cloth probably just as dirty as the floor they were standing on. He was a humface. Humfaces are demons that have a close resemblance to humans, mainly in the upper body. In the Underworld, humfaces are right hands to many high-ranking demons due to their high intellect and knowledge of the world. This particular humface had the face of a human with pointy ears that went back, long black thick hair, eyes as blue as the sea, and an upright lean build that made him swift. His skin, though covered in blood, was a deep brown that had the texture of an oak tree. Chained to his right leg was a heavy ball, when he moved, the cuff around his leg would seem to tighten. He was lucky they didn’t put one on the leg that was broken.

Dagger’s red eyes lost the fire that made them famous among the young girls of his hometown. Now those very eyes were as dark as coal, slowly losing their fiery heart. Cane looked at Dagger, put his arm on Dagger’s shoulder, and took in a deep breath. Cane, ready to speak, was interrupted by a dark figure in the corner of the cell, which was not chained.

Words of comfort have no place in this cell, you imbeciles, uttered the dark figure with a deep voice. The dark character rose to reveal himself. The fire from outside the cell reflected on the dark figure’s heavy articulate armor. Fully in the light, the dark figure was revealed to be Oath.

The symbols on his armor must represent some type of authority or church, thought Cane.

These walls are made from the strongest known stones in this realm, said Oath, knocking on the walls as if expecting them to open a door. This cell gate is made from the best sorcerer this realm has ever given birth to. He tried to pull a bar off with all his might. And the chains on you both, don’t get me started but you can sell one to the right Mender, and you retire. Oath leaned back on the wall crossing his arms and chuckled at what he thought was a good joke, but to his surprise, the two new inmates didn’t react. There is no getting out. This place was made to hold what’s here for eternity or until what’s in here expires, he said chillingly, looking at Dagger.

His curiosity overtook him, and he began to stride toward the two. They must have been brought in probably an hour ago, he thought. Probably right in the middle of my daily naps. I must have been more asleep than a cold stone, forgotten in a dark corner. He would rather believe that they teleported in or were always there because he did not even hear the commotion of guards dragging them in and chaining them like so. The shady giant soared his eagle eyes on to the other new cellmate. It was a humface. Oath knew only a little about them, but enough to know they couldn’t be trusted.

I’m Oath the Almighty. Please make yourselves at home, said Oath. We get one meal a day, and by one meal I mean they will bring us one plate of scraps. He began to drift far into the depths of his mind. He had been alone for so many centuries that he started to think this was a dream. He sat back down in his corner without a single care.

Cane sensed no danger from the shady giant Oath, so he proceeded to introduce themselves. I’m Cane, and if we’re giving each other titles in here, it should be Cane, the betrayed prisoner, said Cane with a smirk. And this is Dagger Mountain, the world’s last hope of returning everything back to normal. He pointed and bowed toward Dagger. Cane wasn’t in the mood for any comedy, but he wanted to show Oath they were no threat either.

The silence became awkward until Oath raised his head. His eyes were now focused on the two, and his breathing slowed down, but his heart was racing. I heard that the earth had been consumed by darkness and there were no souls left on earth. You both can’t be human, are you? asked Oath, now with his head back. His mind was ready to be hit with answers, answers that might make his heart beat go to a complete stop or at a pace only meant for war.

I guess you don’t get much mail in here. That’s going to be an issue if we’re here more than a few days, said Cane, feeling more confident he could trust Oath. The demon lord ripped through the earth’s gate and trapped every human being with a soul in his vault of treasures. Do you, at least, know that much? Oath nodded yes, now looking half amused.

Dagger’s fiancée had a special power, saying she would have been an elite saint is an understatement, said Cane, taking a moment to sit down on the stone-cold floor. She had something stored in her that was beyond the caliber of any saint. She was nicknamed the towering rose, and she got it because the power she inherited was too devastating for her own good. One night, the demon lord himself was entering the earth. Sonia sensed something was wrong, and she set out to find out what was going on. When she arrived, the demon lord stood before her. All we know is that they made a deal. Cane clenched his fist and hit the ground. The demon lord wanted her power in exchange for the safety of the earth, and by that, he meant he would leave earth and close the gates for good, said Cane, trying his best to keep his composure. He looked over at Dagger, who was fast asleep to make sure he was okay and then he walked over to the bench near Oath, dragging the ball and chain on his leg. He was getting exhausted and trying to catch his breath. That night she went missing, only one day before their wedding. She was very special to her town, so you can only imagine how many people went out looking for her. When Dagger set out to look for her, he came across the path of a spirit which meant no harm really. Or at least I don’t believe he did. This spirit was one of the three great forest spirits, and he asked what troubled Dagger—

Cut to the chase! howled Oath. I have been in here for many years, and you sound like you’re telling me a story that I would gain nothing from! It became more apparent that being alone for so long has made him unreasonably bitter.

Humfaces are exceptionally stern demons, but Cane, at times, could be respectful, kind, and the center of attention. No matter if he had once been second in command in the most notorious demonic gang in the Underworld, being interrupted was not his cup of tea, you might say.

Well, to sum it up for you, that forest spirit somehow got his fiancée’s power back and gave it to Dagger, said Cane. Somehow that broke the deal, and the demon lord broke through the portal, ultimately causing even more chaos than he originally planned. Probably because he thought a mere human bested him. Cane nodded as to say that’s the whole story, now your turn.

The tension in the air began to levy. Oath looked over at Dagger. If the demon lord did all of what you said he did, how is that human still around? asked Oath. What’s his story? Try and be quick about it, demon. Cane swallowed his pride because he knew Oath meant demon in a bad way.

That, once again, is Dagger Mountain, said Cane, standing up and stretching. Formerly known as a Saint Vanquisher, now the last hope for humanity. Every human did get taken from the earth, but you see, the main part where you interrupted me was the vital part. Dagger traded his essence of humanity, his very own soul to get back what his fiancée traded.

So! said Cane, walking over to the cell gate, dragging the ball and chain with all his might and such tenacity that one might have thought the gates would have opened for him if he kept going. Dagger is human, but without the title of human because he has no soul. Him not being considered a human gave us an edge. This allowed one of the gods of the Holy Kingdom to appear before us and help with what they could. It also helped us because he can’t be sensed by any demons. Well, as soon as we got down here, we lost the connection. Cane’s eyes grew wide; he looked over to Oath. If you really have been here for as long as you say you have, you must help us get out of here!

Oath’s fascination in the story disappeared, and his heart was completely steady. The shine in his eyes was gone, the presence he gave the room faded. You know all their routines, the ins and outs of this area, said Cane. The moment we are out of here, we can get in contact with someone from the Holy Kingdom! We need another plan of attack. Cane grew louder as he spoke; his hope had returned. We could use all the help we can get.

They can kill us if they wanted to, said Oath. But they rather have us in here for as long as they want. Make yourselves at home. It was apparent he had lost all hope long before they arrived.

Cane looked over to Dagger, a man whom he had befriended, a man with whom he traveled with for three years. In that instance, he felt almost human. If fire burns red because it’s hot and full of life, Cane’s heart burned the same but brighter.

I was born in a cell like this, said Cane. It’s completely unheard of because humfaces are bred inside the royal castles. They are taught from birth to follow their parents. We are born with the utmost highest intellect among other demons, that’s why there are so few of us. We all want to escape because we know the real treacheries that lie ahead of us. I was traded to the demon lord’s guard. I did everything I could to become the best. I once fought someone with an arm tied behind my back to prove my worth. Cane began to move his hands around the chains binding him. He squinted his eyes and analyzed the material. Luckily, he did study the process of creating these chains. The magic imbued in it was of the highest sorcery known in the Underworld.

My masters expected nothing from me. They picked me up and were upset at the trade, said Cane. Truth be told, I became an Underworld leader, feared by demons way stronger than me because I followed through on everything I did. One cruel evening, someone deep within the demon lord’s inner circle recruited me for a secret assignment. Once I was in, there was no getting out. I did things I will always regret. Things that completely shook both worlds out of balance. I had a hand in every plan that went through to the demon lord.

Cane grew still, and the torches began to flicker. It was so quiet you could hear the echoes of their heartbeats. He looked dead straight into Oath’s eyes. I was out for redemption, and I ended up darker than the very ones who put my mother in a prison cell! said Cane, grasping the chain around his ankle very tightly.

Now ask me how anyone comes back from that! said Cane, now digging his fingers into the metal of the chain on his leg. The answer is right here in front of you, you good-for-nothing coward! With all his might, Cane broke the chain on his leg into pieces. The chain exploded, and the shattered remnants pierced his body. It was potent dark magic that he was not entirely prepared for. Oath’s jaw dropped in shock. Blood poured all over the floor from Cane; his screams echoed through halls.

Dagger has everything he needs to save us, earth, and humanity and, above all, to rescue Sonia! said Cane in between his screaming. If there was anything that fell from the Holy Kingdom my wager is that it was Dagger Mountain! Not you!

Cane wobbled around, focusing all his strength on standing, thinking he would only have a few moments left before he died or passed out. Chains rattling could be heard from the other side of the cell by Dagger.

I ask you for the first time in written history, join the one side that will fight for not only humanity but for the demon world as well, said Cane, breathing heavily. Oath stood up, and you could feel his presence emit throughout the prison.

I’ll help you as long as I know whom I’m helping, said Oath, walking toward Dagger. Dagger was the reason for the sounds of chains rattling. He was finally wide-awake with fire in his eyes.

Aarrgh! screamed Dagger as he pulled his arms forward. The chains came flying off and disintegrated before they touched the ground. Dagger stood in place with his eyes closed. Nothing but his wild breathing could be heard now. Oath observed Dagger closely. He put his left hand on Dagger’s head. Dagger’s breathing became steady; his eyes began to emit blue light.

So tell me, boy, who are you really? asked Oath with a humble tone. Cane was fixated on the other two just to make sure Oath wasn’t about to hurt Dagger.

I told you already that’s Dagger Mountain, said Cane, smiling. And you two together can restore the earth. Just make sure you take good care of my— Cane’s eyes went dark, his breathing stopped. Was this the moment I dreaded since the beginning of this journey? he thought.

His mind wondered and wondered. Finally, a fixed point came to mind. When he was a child, an old demon read his fortune. The demon claimed he will live long, but only if he does not follow the warrior’s path. At the start of this journey, he knew all too well it would end that way. As he tumbled forward, he thought of his favorite poem.

The leaf that stays in the tree

grows with the height of the tree,

but the leaf that falls off and becomes part of the earth

can roam where they choose.

Cane fell forward into the ground. Into tomorrow, an adventurer’s death.

Chapter 2

The Sun’s Last Warmth

Dagger! yelled Chinrana from the other side of the river. I think I got, ah, I think I got a big one! her young face became tense as she pulled back on the fishing rod with all her might. Dagger dropped the firewood he was gathering and turned toward Chinrana’s victorious banter. As the clouds parted, the sun’s light beamed on Dagger, revealing a younger Dagger Mountain.

Well then, let’s see what the fearsome Chinrana can do! said Dagger, running toward her. She was on top a set of rocks that hovered just a bit over the stream. Chinrana was younger than Dagger. She had dark-orange ponytails and a birthmark on her right cheek that looked like a cat paw. She was always mistaken for a much-younger child because she loved to wear fancy little dresses. Her eyes would always look happy, and what she lacked in height, she made up for in her attitude.

It is way too strong for me! cried Chinrana. Dagger jumped on top of the rocks and landed beside her.

Okay, keep this stance! said Dagger, and he put his arms around her and began to pull toward him. Dagger felt weird like he was dreaming. The sun beamed heavily on them and yet the air felt cold.

Looks like you’re going to need some help, Mousey Mouse, said Aminta, who magically appeared from thin air behind Dagger. Aminta was always in her dark-purple wizard robes with matching wizard hat. She had long dark hair and deep dark eyes. Many people would always notice her pale skin due to her liking the moonlight versus the daylight.

No! yelled Chinrana. I can do it on my own! She was always discouraged to be helped by Aminta, but Aminta never backed off. She was like an older sister to Chinrana. Aminta grabbed hold of Dagger and cast a gravity spell.

We can only do this together! said Aminta, with tears in her eyes. Her spell was holding them together in place for a short while, but the force at the end of the fishing line pulled them into the stream. They all screamed, ready to hold their breaths, but Aminta’s spell kept them afloat.

We got to let go! pleaded Chinrana.

No, we can bring it down! said Dagger. I’m going to grab onto your hands with all my might, Chinrana. Stay focused on its movements. You can do this.

Chinrana looked back at him and nodded. The three were being pulled down the stream toward a waterfall. The sky turned to black, and the stars were all sitting close to see the outcome of the trio’s attempt at catching this tremendous force. Lightning struck across the dark sky as they neared the waterfall.

Dagger, said Aminta, I’m losing power. Dagger felt sorrow in his heart; something wasn’t right. It was as though this had all happened before. Everything at a distance was blurry, and the water wasn’t warm either.

As they traveled downstream, the waters became enraged and their speed increased. Whatever was at the end of the line had submerged even lower, but not an ounce of speed or strength differed. I’m sorry, I can’t hold on any— said Chinrana. The sudden change of unforgiving gravity stole her breath. She was the first to see the abyss. Only a blink later and all three of them were over the edge of the waterfall. Everything was silent, but Dagger could feel the pain in both their hearts.

His grip on Chinrana loosened, and she began to fall faster. In midair, her body turned toward him. He had seen her cry dozens of times, but this time was different. Her eyes were like clouds on a rainy day, and her tears were cold as they hit Dagger’s face. His heart felt heavy and on fire. He looked back to Aminta, hoping she was okay, but she