Eren feels a bead of sweat drip down her brow as she watches the Mirefang slowly return to Anya's side, and the fully manifested Oya take up a fighting stance with her iron pole. If this were still a game, with their current disadvantage she would have been tempted to log off and try again at a later time. Sadly, this is now her reality, and if she doesn't focus, she'll either be mauled by the giant monster lynx or bashed into bits by the kind old matron. Forced into a corner, Eren's brain is working on overdrive, there must be a way to beat this. As a seasoned gamer, familiar with spawn type Bosses who summon allies to overpower the player, there's always a catch.
[…Thorn Orb to summon lady Oya...soul is not whole...a penalty shall be placed...all stats are halved.]
'...soul is not whole...'
That's it! Both the Mirefang and Lady Oya are victims of the impostor's soul devouring skill. Their souls are bound to her by the orb and forced to do her bidding. If they can release these trapped souls, Anya won't be able to summon anymore allies.
'Ariellia, we've got this all wrong. It's not me we need to win but you!'
'Me?'
'You said it yourself, only you can perform life magic. I need you to do the soul calling spell again. You heard the voice of the realm too right? The apparition of Lady Oya only has half a soul. If you can complete the soul calling spell this time we can save her and weaken Anya.'
'But that spell takes time, I won't be able to do anything while I'm casting it. That impostor won't just stand there and let me finish. What if she attacks me with that crazy whip of hers before I complete it.'
'Little girl take a look around you, where is your trust. Do you think Jasper, Clad, or Rei will let her touch a single strand of hair on your curly head? Not a chance in hell.'
'Then...'
Ah, he forgot. The real Ariellia has never been tried in a real battle. As a spoiled little princess, she's always been sheltered from violence. Behind all that strong bravado about skinning Anya alive is a scared teen, afraid of failing her companions at this crucial moment. The only reason Eren has the courage to fight in the first place is because he knows the game. He's familiar with monster attack patterns so most of his anxiety went away, and the following level ups encouraged him to keep going. Arie doesn't have that knowledge to ground her fear, it's understandable for her to be scared deep down.
'Listen to me Arie, it'll be okay. Who are you? Aren't you the proud daughter of David Garrod, The Spear master of the kingdom? Don't cower now, we're so close to winning. I promise to take over if I feel the slightest hint of danger.'
'Okay, you've made your point. I can't have anyone telling my father I acted like a coward after he's reborn, move aside.'
The moment Ariellia takes control of their body Anya's head snaps towards their direction, the creepy smile on her face grows even wider.
"Ooh, what do we have here. Ah, this is hilarious. I seem to have quite the luck at attracting body snatchers everywhere I go. Tell me, who are you now?"
"What kind of nonsense is she spouting this time?" Clad frowns, his displeasure of seeing his old friend's soul being used in this manner is evident in his voice.
"The only soul snatcher here is you." Rei points his blade towards the impostor, ready to renew the fight.
"..."
Jasper and Ariellia, the only two who truly understand what she means, keep their silence.
"Fine, don't tell me. I'm actually starting to get a bit hungry after using this orb so much. I'll know the truth once I've eaten your soul!"
"You wish!" Rei and Clad both quickly intercept the mirefang and Oya approaching Ariellia.
"Uncle Jasper, I'm going to try the soul calling spell again. Please keep guard until it is over."
"Of course, no one touches my precious gems."
A smaller shimmering shield similar to the one protecting her mother's coffin appears around Ariellia. It's only after this that she feels safe enough to begin the spell.
"You wretched bitch! What are you doing?"
The imposter begins to panic the moment she feels a familiar painful pull in her gut. She doubles over, clutching her stomach and screams out in pain. Clad and Rei notice her obvious reaction and secretly give the signal to hold the line until Ariellia can complete the spell. Clad blocks Oya's iron pole strike with practiced ease, familiar with his old friend's fighting habits. Rei taunts and pulls the Mirefang's attention away from the rest, violently matching its vicious attacks with brutal force of his own.
"No no no, I won't let you take them. You have no right!" The crazed impostor staggers up to her feet and lashes out with her whip, hoping to disrupt Arie while her defenders are occupied.
"As if I would let you, do you think I'm already dead!"
Not only the impostor's strike, but everything else also faulters and stops under the might of the dragon lord's spiritual roar. The sound waves are so overwhelming, cracks begin to form in the marble columns around Arie. Through it all the heiress keeps her eyes closed, tightly clutching her staff as she continues to mutter the words of the ancient language for the spell.
'You're doing great, we're almost there.'
As promised, Eren won't let her take on this burden alone. This entire time he's been cheering her on from within the seal.
"No!!! It's not fair, the system said I am the heroine. It's me you should be protecting, not that spoiled bitch who should be dead!" The agitated imposter keeps spewing vile accusations while backing away, trying to escape the range of the spell in vain.
[Anya? Uses 'item': Red Covenant corsage to steal Jasper Bastion's skill Flame jump]
"No!" Clad screams in dismay as the apparition of Oya before him begins to fade.
"She's trying to get away!" Rei proceeds to kick aside the large specter of the Mirefang with a loud bang, racing towards the impostor in hopes that he could interrupt her skill before it fully activates.
But it's too late, a large column of black flames engulfs Anya's curled form before he can reach her. In an instant, the impostor disappears along with her ghostly servants. She managed to steal the Thorn Orb, and Red Covenant corsage right under their noses and still got away with a good portion of Lady Oya's soul.
"I failed...I failed..." Ariellia lets her prized staff drop from her powerless hands with bitter tears of disappointment streaming down her lovely face.
"No my lady, you did not fail. We all tried our best." Clad, the person who should feel the most hurt about the situation, tries to comfort her instead.
"He was wrong...I'm not that great...ack!" The backlash of a spell without a target came crashing back without warning. Ariellia starts coughing uncontrollably. She doesn't even need to open her hand to see what the wet substance on it is, the taste of iron is still fresh on her tongue.
"Arie!" Rei rushes back to her side at lightning speed. He catches her right before she faints, desperately calling her name in distress.
"Uncle what's wrong with her! Why is she like this?" He holds her close while his gold eyes frantically search over her body for any damage. Was it something he missed, but he made sure to guard her well, so why is it like this? Gently, he begins rocking her in his arms as his tail curls around them protectively, like a dragon defending its hoard.
"It's the backlash from the spell. Calm down nephew, she should be fine after some rest. For now, lets reseal this place and return to the nest." Jasper offers some words of wisdom to the demoralized team. He too is quite concerned about his goddaughter's current state, already regretting the limitations of his temporary vessel.
"Though the spell couldn't take full effect, I felt some of Lady Oya's soul leave that cursed object. Sir Clad, I suggest you return to the orphanage to see the results for yourself. The enemy used a weakened version of my flame jump, so she should still be somewhere within the city. There is still a chance she may return to the orphanage to steal more souls for a faster recovery. Rather than lament on what's past won't help, we can only protect what's right in front of us now."
"Yes, Lord Jasper." The worried knight takes one last look at his unconscious mistress before following his advice.
"It'll be alright...she's a lot tougher than she looks. There's no way he'll let anything happen to her."
"He?" Rei asks the doll as they leave the quiet tomb.
"Her guardian angel of course."
?
Rei doesn't know what his uncle means, but at least it sounds like someone else is watching over her. Whoever it is, as long as she wakes up and smiles at him again, in his heart he swears to be forever grateful.