Part 45: The Lady Knight Receives the Sacred Scabbard Arcadia

Part 45:
The Lady Knight Receives the Sacred Scabbard Arcadia

 

CATRIA FACED THE DEMON LORD Asmodeus alongside Lithisia and Alan. The lady knight had turned even the pommel of her Holy Knight Blade into a weapon. Against whom, one might ask? Well, against herself, so that she might forget Alan’s words.

“I want to mine everything you have.”

The demon lord Asmodeus had approached Alan with a deal. In exchange for the Purple Orb, she desired Catria or Lithisia for herself. Of course, Alan completely and utterly refused; both women were his own personal gold veins of talent. He wanted to mine everything that lay within Catria.

Wh-wh-what the hell is he saying?! What does that even mean?! How could he say that?!

Depending on how one interpreted his statement, it could very well be taken as a confession of love.

Catria’s heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Or was that the rhythmic clank of a shovel against her heart?

“No! Impossible! There is no clanking here!”

“Hee hee… Hee hee hee. Is this your feeble attempt to resist, my sweet knight?” Asmodeus laughed, reveling in the intensity of Catria’s ultimately futile struggle.

“Dammit! Damn everything!” Catria cursed. C’mon, me! Hurry up and forget what he said! You’re going to lose your mind if you keep thinking of those words! Your heart is going nuts! You’re going to smile as wide as the shovel is long. Your pulse is gonna keep racing! You can’t let that happen! Just forget what he said. As much as you can!

“Haah, haaah, HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Catria let out an unnerving roar of a laugh as she thwacked herself on the head with the pommel of her Holy Blade, tears in her eyes. “Hee, hee hee hee… O-ow.”

Ow, it really hurts! But, but! Catria grinned. “I think I’ve pretty much forgotten it!”

“Oho!” said Asmodeus. “Fascinating. Miner Alan, this knight managed to resist your attempt to woo her!”

“Woo her? What’re you going on about?”

“Hmph, now I desire her more than ever.” Asmodeus slowly rose to her feet.

In response, Alan straightened and gripped his shovel, placing himself in front of Catria and Lithisia to protect them. The lady knight managed to overcome the throbbing pain in her head long enough to raise her Holy Knight Blade.

Meanwhile, Lithisia happily sang, “Sir Miner, Sir Miner, Sir Miner, love, love, love, shlove, shlove.”

You know, the usual.

Just as Alan had said he felt an obligation toward Catria, he had also confessed he would take responsibility for Lithisia. This had, to no surprise, led to her current state.

“Ugh.” Catria felt a chill run down the nape of her neck. But this wasn’t the time to think of stupid things. We face a new enemy, one more powerful than any we’ve ever confronted.

“Alan, can we win?” she asked.

“Well, in a one-on-one fight, I’d say I had a 30 percent chance of winning.”

Not a reassuring number. Certainly it was ridiculous to claim he had any hope of overcoming a legendary being in the first place, but still.

Asmodeus once again let out a merry laugh. As she did, the eyes of every demon in the throne room glowed a fiery red. “One-on-one, perhaps. But you are in my world, Miner Alan.”

“Hrm.”

“Your shovel is at its most powerful underground. However, there is no ground here to speak of.”

Alan surveyed his surroundings; demons stood everywhere, holding themselves absolutely still, like statues. There had to be over three hundred all told, each and every one of them horrific to behold. Some leaked fire from inflamed green skin, and others were giants covered in needles. Creatures straight out of fairy tales. One beast looked even more intimidating than draconic Pazuzu of the floating city Rahzelfo.

As soon as Asmodeus gave the order, they would all most certainly attack.

“But maybe, Alan…” Catria murmured.

Alan could fight through it all. Even the cursed princess could probably survive using her Shovel Revision.

I’m just a human, thought Catria. I’m going to drag them down…

Even before this battle began, Catria faced off with her lack of self-esteem.

“However, I’m not alone. It’s three of us against all of you.” Alan glanced back at Lithisia and Catria, wearing a confident smile. “I can’t beat you with a single shovel, Asmodeus. But…”

Light blue energy radiated from Alan’s shovel. As if called to arms, Catria’s Holy Knight Blade radiated blue energy as well. Their mutual wave energy shone with incredible power. Even Lithisia’s red shovel emanated faint blue light.

“We’ve got three shovels here. There’s no way we’re gonna lose,” Alan said as the three strands of light flowed into him. “Catria, watch my back.”

“Huh…?!”

WHOOAAAAAA!!!

An intense euphoria washed over Catria. This was the sensation of being relied upon—and by Alan of all people! The strongest man in the world had acknowledged Catria, a knight of meager skill, as someone worth relying on. Here, today, she stood beside him as a shovel wielder of equal—

“No, no, no! What am I thinking?! This isn’t what I wanted! Don’t you dare acknowledge my shovel!”

“Hrm?”

Catria was playing the straight man in her own solo comedy act.

What am I thinking, getting all happy?! Why are my cheeks all puffy and warm?! This means Alan thinks I’m on the same level of shovel nonsense as the princess! He’s definitely not thinking about me as a woman! Why the hell am I getting all frazzled?!

“Wait, why am I even thinking about that?!”

Frazzled?! No, no, no! That’s impossible! Catria’s eyes spun in confusion.

“Calm yourself, Catria,” said Alan. “If you don’t stabilize your shovel, you might not be able to defeat an enemy you otherwise should’ve been able to.”

“Precisely, Catria,” said Lithisia. “We’re going to Tri-Shovel!”

“I so am not! I refuse to shovel a damn thing!” Catria was in shambles.

Instead of taking this opening to attack, Asmodeus simply watched, a pleased smile on her face. She then laughed gently, though it soon turned into a booming roar that seemed to shake the entire throne room before receding into a low cackle.

“I’m done.” And just like that, the killing intent seething from Asmodeus disappeared.

“Hrm.” Alan kept his shovel at the ready.

“If we fight, I would no doubt end up killing the lot of you, which would be unfortunate. I’ve taken quite a liking to you all.” Asmodeus laughed even more. “Especially you, good knight. You’re thoroughly delightful. Truly.”

“Wh-what?”

“You see, I adore watching humans struggle against impossible odds. Over the last few thousand years, I’ve watched this planet very closely. I’ve delighted as humans perished while struggling with starvation and all manner of other sufferings. But you, I’ve never seen anyone quite like you. Someone who strives to struggle against the shovel…but to no end.” Asmodeus let loose a high-pitched cackle. “It is due to that struggle that I gift you this.”

Thunk!

With a single finger, Asmodeus rolled something over to Catria: a gem about the size of the palm of her hand, shining purple. One of the orbs.

“The Purple Orb?!” Catria gasped.

“Shovmodeus? (What are you plotting, Asmodeus?)” Lithisia demanded.

“As I said, I’ve grown quite fond of you, and if we fight, I’ll want to kill you.” Asmodeus laughed again. She looked again at Catria and continued to laugh.

Alan picked the orb off the floor. “You have my thanks, Asmodeus.”

“I never cared much for that trinket to begin with. It was a gift from Burg.”

“Shovel? Zeleburg gave it to you?”

“Likely to try and earn my favor. He plans to become my successor. Foolish.” Asmodeus smiled at Catria. “You are welcome in my domain whensoever you wish, Scabbard Knight of Alan.”

She clearly desired to see more of the lady knight. Truth be told, demon or no, Catria found it felt good to be so valued by one as powerful as Asmodeus.

And yet.

“Scabbard Knight? What do you mean by that?”

“Do you not wish to be mined for all you possess?”

A scabbard. A place to store one’s blade. I’m Alan’s scabbard? In other words…

“?!?!?!”

After a moment of thought, Catria’s cheeks turned crimson. Crap! She made me remember what he said! Dammit all! Forget it, Catria!

Asmodeus continued to chuckle. “Truly a fascinating treat, Shovel Scabbard Knight.”

“Sh-shut up! Shut up, you cursed demon!” Catria’s eyes filled with tears as she shouted at the great being.

“Hee hee hee. Then allow me to present you with a gift. Perhaps this will change your mood.”

“Huh? Another gift?”

Asmodeus snapped her fingers, and a pillar of hellfire exploded in front of Catria. When it dissipated, something remained floating directly before her eyes: a mystical scabbard glowing light blue.

Catria swallowed a gasp. Magical power flowed from within the object, a power that rivaled that of her Holy Knight Blade—a scabbard truly worthy of her sword.

“I present the Sacred Scabbard Arcadia, the holy treasure of a hero who once stood against me.”

“Sacred Scabbard Arcadia…”

“It possesses three unique magical powers. The first is the ability to automatically return to its owner’s hands: Auto-Return. The second is the ability to heal its wielder: Auto-Regen. The third ability nullifies all damage its wielder sustains for thirty seconds at a time: Invincibility. It is truly one of a kind.”

The treasure stole the entirety of Catria’s attention and focus. She wanted it. She really, really wanted it. Its powers undoubtedly astounded, but more than that, it was cool as hell. If she wore a relic like that on her back, nobody would doubt her status as a Holy Knight.

“No, wait! No, no, no!” Catria shook her head as hard as she could and tore her gaze away. That was way too close. This is a gift from a demon! From literal Hell! I can’t accept this!

“I don’t need it!” she declared.

“Is that so? Not to your liking? How deep your desires run, my knight.”

“Expecshovesire! (As I’d expect from Catria! Her shovel desire is strong!)”

Ugh! Catria hated that everyone just said whatever they wanted about her.

“Hrm, but I do not possess any treasures more valuable than… Wait, no. How about this?”

Asmodeus removed something from her own finger: a ring with an emerald-green gem lodged in it. Asmodeus whispered into the stone, and the ring seemingly vanished, only for the gem to reappear at the center of the scabbard. The scabbard glowed for a moment, but soon returned to its prior state.

“I modified the scabbard. I imagine this power will be more to your liking—”

“I said I don’t need it! It doesn’t matter what treasure you offer me, I refuse to accept your advances!” Catria cried.

“—the power of Shovel Resistance,” said Asmodeus.

Just like that, Catria changed her tune. “You have my gratitude, thank you very much!”

How could she forego an offer like that?

“I developed this power so that I might resist Miner Alan’s Wave Motion Shovel Blast,” said Asmodeus smugly. “It was my trump card.”

“You had something like that?” Alan muttered. If he had done battle with Asmodeus, things might’ve gone genuinely bad. For the first time in many years, Alan felt a cold sweat run down his nape.

“By pressing the gem in the ring, you can temporarily activate its ‘Anti-Shovel Power,’” Asmodeus explained to Catria. “Use it well.”

“Oh—oh goodness! Amazing! This is amazing, Asmodeus!” Overwhelmed with emotion, Catria clutched the scabbard and pressed the gem. A fire burned in her heart. The heat of the scabbard filled her with courage. That’s right, I’ll never bend the knee to the shovel!

Meanwhile, Lithisia smoothly made her way over to the knight. Red shovel in hand, half-visible shovels began to float in the air around her.

“Shovel!”

At the sound of her voice, the seven shovels flew straight for Catria. They would impale her.

However, the light blue aura generated from Catria’s scabbard deflected them all.

Lithisia’s face fell. “I couldn’t shovel Catria…”

On the other hand, Catria bounced around like a delighted little girl. “Alan! Try shooting your Wave Motion Shovel Blast at me! Hurry!”

Catria wore a smile more radiant than it had ever been since the start of their quest.

“Hrm, are you sure?” asked Alan.

“If you’re worried, try aiming directly at the scabbard.”

Alan nodded and did as instructed.

KA-CHOOOOOOOOM!

The stream of light blue energy collided with Catria’s scabbard—and was absorbed like sugar dissolving in water.

Catria’s eyes shone like the sun itself as she hugged her scabbard and rubbed her cheek on it. This is my scabbard. Mine! I won’t let anyone else have it!

Suddenly, the scabbard began to let out a mysterious warning sound, dinging like a bell.

“Ah, the Anti-Shovel Power has worn off,” said Asmodeus. “It must be recharged.”

“It has a limited number of uses?!”

“I said it was temporary, didn’t I? Given the class of Alan’s Wave Motion Shovel Blast, I’d say it can withstand two shots at most.”

Catria’s shoulders lowered under the weight of her sadness. It’s not infinite? …But at least it can be recharged.

“In that case, can you reup it or whatever?” she asked Asmodeus.

“That scabbard no longer belongs to me. It is your responsibility now, Scabbard Knight Catria.”

“Oh, that makes sense… So what exactly do I need to do?”

“In my case, I charged it by entering a Shovel Bath and withstanding the shovels for a time.”

“Wait.” Catria froze in place. She had a terrible feeling about all this.

“This goes without saying, but in order to charge the scabbard’s power, one needs to resist the shovel.”

“Wait.”

“Incidentally, if you ignore the scabbard’s warning, its ‘Shovel Tickle’ mode automatically activates and shovel tentacles emerge from the gem. Fear not, Anti-Shovel Power is the objective here, so the mode will automatically deactivate just before you bend the knee. That being said, I certainly don’t plan on ever experiencing that horror ever again.”

“Wait! You can have it back!” Catria attempted to shove the scabbard back toward Asmodeus with all of her might, but the sheathe stuck to her palms. “GAAAAAAAAH!”

“The scabbard automatically returns to its owner. Did I not say as much?”

“No, no! Please, nooooo!”

Ding, ding, ding. The warning signal grew ever faster.

Tears pricked Catria’s eyes. This scabbard truly was a gift from the devil. Was she destined to fall into Shovel Hell? Was this fate’s way of toying with her? No, she didn’t want that!

Scabbard in her arms, she sank to the floor in despair.

Lithisia drew close to the despairing knight. “Hee hee… The last few weeks have been rough, but it’s finally shoveling time, Catria!”

“No, don’t, please! Nooooooo!” Catria tried to crawl away, bawling like a small child. No, anything but that! Please! I beg of you!

Kathunk.

Alan lightly smacked Lithisia’s hands with his shovel. “Don’t try and shovel someone like that when they’re scared.”

“Eeek… I’m sowwwy!”

Unfortunately, the scabbard’s warning alarm wouldn’t stop ringing. Just as Catria was on the verge of pure despair, Alan got on his knees and looked her in the eyes, brushing her tears away. “It’s going to be okay, Catria. I’ll stop the scabbard.”

“Alan…!”

He had never looked more reliable to her.

Alan gripped his shovel and aimed it at the Sacred Scabbard Arcadia. “The only shovel to mine Catria will be my own! I won’t hand the right over to some weird scabbard.”

ZING! SWOOSH! SHOOF!

These were the sounds of Catria’s maidenly virtue getting dug up by a shovel.

“HUH?!”

WHAT IS WITH THIS GUY?!

Catria felt like her heart was about to explode out of her chest. He’d said it again! He said he was going to mine her—again! Where exactly was he planning to dig?! Catria’s body couldn’t help but react to his words, forcing her to visualize the event. Visualize herself as Alan dug his sturdy shovel deep inside her heart and body…

Ah, what a shovelful future… Wait.

“WHAT AM I THINKING?! THIS ISN’T WHAT I WANT!”

“Whoa!”

For the second time that day, Catria played the straight man to her own comedy act.

“HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!” That was too close. She had almost bent the knee, but she managed to pull herself back from the brink. She took multiple fortifying breaths and fell to her knees from exhaustion.

“Ah, the alarm is gone,” said Alan.

“The scabbard has been charged, then,” said Asmodeus. “Skillfully done.”

“Haaah…” As Catria’s sight faded, the last thing she saw were Alan and his shovel. What a reliable-looking shovel… But, but! “I will never…bend the knee…to the shovel!”

Kerthunk. Catria fell to the floor. Take that! I won! I stood against the shovel!

“Hee hee, spectacular!” Asmodeus cackled. “Keep pushing back just like that, Scabbard Knight.”

Catria did not yet realize she would have to recharge the scabbard’s Anti-Shovel Power every single day. But she was as yet free of that horrific truth, so she slept soundly.

As a single tear ran down her cheek, she quietly whispered in her sleep. “I won’t bend the knee… I won’t…”

Catria’s battle against the shovel had only just begun.