chapter 122: long awaited destiny pt. 5


    kaius rose from his soul-space with a gasp, his eyes snapping open to take in the dense ash canopy above. warm sunlight filtered through the green leaves, comforting him with memories of home. he was still in his class selection.


    he’d been told to expect that, but after all he experienced, it was hard to avoid feeling surprised.


    his class construct, the system sheathed in an aged and scarred clone of himself, leaned over him with warm eyes and a soft smile.


    despite the notifications for his new skills tugging at his mind, kaius gave the system his full attention. one did not ignore the highest of divines.


    “pretty intense isn’t it? i know i said we had more to do, and we do, but i''m not going to be so cruel as to stop you from checking out what you have gained. you almost look constipated.” the ancient intelligence teased.


    kaius blanched, struggling to marry the coarse humour with a lifetime of veneration.


    his class construct just gave him a cheeky grin. “based off you, remember? don’t go getting all up-tight about your own humour now. seriously though, check your skills, you look like you’re about to pass out.”


    kaius paused, and then gave the construct a nod, indulging in his rampant curiosity over his gains without even bothering to sit up.


    liturgical bladeform - primus ordo:


    general skill - tier i


    affinity: arcane, martial


    type: spellblade, longsword, glyph-binding, mastery


    level 20


    heroic


    the first order of vesryn. speak the language of war, and write your verse with steel and spell. here, mastery transcends skill; it becomes ritual.


    skill that enhances technical mastery with the vesryn orders liturgical bladeform style, a cohesive use of longswords and glyph-binding. improves the lethality of longswords, and the armour piercing capabilities of longswords and hymns


    each level significantly increases longsword and glyph-binding proficiency.


    each level moderately increases speed, control, and power of strikes - both mundane and magical.


    each level minutely increases the ability to penetrate mundane and magical defences.


    evolved from: warforged


    kaius grinned as he drank in the description of the evolved form of warforged. not for the first time, he thanked his blessings that he had been born into the legacy he had. warforged was an ... unoptimised skill, but it had served its purpose perfectly. with its power spread so thin between mastery of so many styles, warforged failed to really shine in any given one.


    yet, it was only a base skill. it meant that none of his ancestors were locked into a specific style or weapon at birth, able to choose what fit them best. father had said that most in the history of their dynasty managed to evolve it by the first or second class selection. when they did, they almost invariably were granted something that let them excel.


    the truth of those words stared him straight in the face now.


    he had lost his ability to make use of any weapon, but he had gained much, much more. already he could feel its effects rushing through him. when he tried to remember the feel of a perfectly aimed bowshot, or a graceful parry with a knife, it slipped away like a dream. r?a?????o???εs?


    it wasn’t that bad, he had still used and practised with dozens of weapons since he was a boy. all he had lost was the nudging and insight granted by the system, the ones that stretched his capabilities to superhuman heights.


    in their place, he could feel a burgeoning style taking place, one that wove a dance of arcane steel. he couldn’t feel it completely, that would take practice and time to familiarise himself with his newly found instincts and implicit knowledge.


    that wasn’t all. even if all he had gained was a sword and hymn focused style with better scaling, he would have been happy. but for the skill to increase his ability to overwhelm armour and protection? that was invaluable, especially as he knew that he and porkchop would need to punch upwards if they were to meet the significant demands of ekum the pale.


    invigorated by liturgical bladeform, kaius moved on to the next skill.


    tempered by dissonance:


    general skill - tier i


    affinity: martial, destruction


    type: body reinforcement, armament reinforcement, evasion


    he dismissed the notification, looking up to his class guide. “no knowledge component?” he asked.


    the aged clone shook his head slightly. “unfortunately not, i did mention that hybrid classes come with drawbacks. however, it will help you fully understand the components of the runic hymns you receive from your class skills. from there, it is just a matter of exploration, extrapolation, and testing. i wouldn’t expect to reverse engineer glyphic scripts quickly though.”


    kaius paused, but gave his guide a sharp nod. at the very least he had gotten confirmation that it was possible. besides, even with a knowledge skill, it would have still been a gargantuan undertaking without any learning resources or tutors. the kind of work better suited to cloistered scholars than a warrior like himself.


    he just hoped that the speed and convenience of direct inscription would be enough to offset the loss.


    the final skill notification tugged at his mind, and kaius dove straight in.


    resonance amplification:


    general skill- tier i


    affinity: arcane


    type: glyph-binding, metamagic, manipulation


    level 20


    unique


    attune yourself to the primal song, the thumping heart that runs beneath the world. impart a note of destructive purity to your hymns, reverberations shattering all that would bar your path to perfection.


    resonance with internal mana empowers offensive runic hymns with penetrating vibration. enhances mental control of internal mana. external mana may be controlled with significantly increased difficulty.


    each level significantly increases control over internal mana.


    each level slightly increases the potency of imbued resonance.


    each level minutely increases control over external mana.


    evolved from: mana manipulation


    kaius’s heart thumped as a grin split his face. metamagic. he’d had hopes, but without a base skill of that nature, he had gotten lucky indeed with this evolution. even if the difficulty of external mana control had increased, he’d found that that particular skill was far less useful for him than a standard caster.


    once his hymns were set, there was little he could do to influence them to the extent a manipulation or sorcerous caster could. instead, he found internal mana control to be far more advantageous with how it assisted his inscription.


    even that single trade would have brought the skill better into alignment with his needs, but for it to develop a metamagic component as well? that was true fortune. imbuing his combat spells with reverberation would increase their effectiveness at no additional cost, and he could think of a number of cases where it could prove extremely advantageous, like against heavily armoured opponents.


    pleased with his gains, kaius dismissed the notification and pushed himself off of the soft ground of the forest. dirt and loose leaf litter clung to his back, until he brushed them free and rose to his feet.


    “what now? you mentioned something about us still having something to do before i’m finished?” kaius asked, turning to his guide.


    his guide crinkled his eyes, small crows-feet appearing at their corners. “indeed we do. it’s time for you to pick your first skill, and depending on your choice, your first spell.”


    anticipation welled up within him, a bubbling energy that made him feel light and energetic. his first class skill... it was finally here. unlike general skills, they almost ubiquitously had some sort of active component, and were the largest part of why classers were so capable.


    though, he had half suspected that he would make the choice outside of this selection place.


    “will i always come back here when i unlock more?” he asked, tilting his head at kaius the elder.


    “no, just for the skill that comes with the class evolution itself. for your later spells, you will enter something similar, you do need to be taught them after-all, but not here. somewhere less sacred, but still dear to your heart.” the guide explained, before he waved at kaius to follow as he turned and strode off into the meadow that surrounded the trio of ash trees that had revealed to him his class options.


    kaius jolted, and strode after his guide, pushing through dense grasses and walking around wildflowers. they were too pretty to damage with casual disregard.


    “we’re going somewhere else?” he asked, hurrying to match the clone''s pace.


    “of course. a new skill carries a whole lot less weight in your heart than your class. it would be inappropriate to make the selection here. i still think you’ll enjoy the process though, you have quite the options.” his guide said, looking back over their shoulder to shoot him a wink before they picked up their pace.


    “hey! wait up!” kaius replied, starting to jog.