Kaius pored over the class descriptions with interest.

  As he’d expected, the first one held little interest for him. If anything, he found it a little revolting — a class focused on everything he found distasteful about mind magic, twisting even the power of great runes to manipulate and warp.

  Even if he disregarded that, it would be an utter change to his style, and would require discarding everything he loved about battle and the blade — it just was wrong for him. Yes, reading through the requirements, he could see how it was offered — but it wasn’t for him.

  He did wonder how other people would ever go to such lengths, though.

  "It seems like this class is a mite obscure," Kaius said. "How many people ever even get offered this class if they need to do all of this?"

  "Well," his guide said, leaning up against one of the many statues surrounding him that were shaded from Kaius’s observation, "It IS rare. In the grand scheme of things, at least — simply because everyone must have touched on conceptual magic in the first tier, which is unlikely to say the least. However, please note that it says ‘relevant feats’, not ‘required’ ones. This is what you have done that has led to this class being offered to you, not what everyone must do.

  "Okay," Kaius blinked. He had kind of assumed there was some level of variability there, just due to the simple ridiculousness of the feats listed on his first class — but he supposed he had never really thought about it deeply.

  His guide laughed. "Of course they are different. You thought there could be an order of Runeblades if every single one of them had to go through the ordeal you went through in your first delve? No. Those who live under the Vesryn Order’s watch, and pass their initiation, find it much easier to get your class."

  "Is it still Heroic then? I can’t see how it would be if it was that much easier."

  "Of course. That is the class, after all—though I meant ‘easier’ in the sense that it is less specific, rather than in regards to its difficulty. Those who aspire to join the militant elites of Vesryn have to pass through a harrowing gauntlet indeed. Besides, this fact has worked out in your favour. It’s why the classes we will look at after this are all related to that same order. By having their initiate class, and achieving the feats that you have, it is almost a foregone conclusion that they would be amongst the list — and considering that your desires haven’t changed overmuch since you selected the Runeblade Initiate, they exist within the range of what you’re interested in and looking at."

  Kaius nodded. He was excited to see them, but not quite yet. He was still curious about the Clearmind Blade-ascetic. He could see what his guide had meant about how it was a spellsword, in a sense, though divergent from the reasons why he was interested in it — a blademaster leaning on conceptual magic to enhance their abilities, and the devastation of their cuts. It was a terrifying thing.

  "How does the Blade-ascetic even work? The only reason I can bear to handle Vos—" he dutifully kept the Great Rune out of his mind—"is because of my Glyph of Muthryn. That class seems almost entirely focused on blade mastery. It wouldn’t have anything like that."

  "Well, there is a reason that its Constitution and Willpower growth is so high. Otherwise, it has its own methods of resisting and dealing with the effect of great runes, as you call them. If anything, that class delves the most deeply into that magic. Yours — and your other options — do, of course, have it quite interwoven. It is the nature of the Vesryn Order, but the Clearmind is steeped in it, carved to the very bone by it. It’s a powerful class, but like I said, not one I expect to be of complete interest to you."

  Kaius groaned. He wished it didn’t sound so tempting. The system was right, of course — it was unlikely that it would be his first pick. He was too attached to glyph binding, and it wasn’t like the other classes were any less potent. Plus, the stats were very unbalanced.

  "Let’s just go see the rest of them before I get too caught up in it."

  "As you say," his guide said.

  He was led away from the pair of curiosities, and the statues that dotted the dwarven pavilion seemed to warp with every step, their surroundings shifting in a way that hurt his mind.

  In many ways it felt like they walked for an age; in others, it felt like they arrived at their destination in a heartbeat. The system’s authority throbbed around him, impressing upon him the primacy of the moment, as every breath came heavy with anticipation and crackled with enigmatic potential.

  He could physically feel that his future lay before him — in the trio of statues ahead.

  All three depicted him with the shadow of Porkchop behind him. Two were garbed in a collection of ornamental scalemail and light plate, their steel polished and gleaming. While the other wore lighter armour — a suit of boiled leather made of what looked to be some kind of reptilian hide, reinforced at the joints and over his vitals with sewn-in chain and strategically placed plates.

  In all three, every scrap of bare skin was covered in familiar Vesryn glyphs — though they were more developed than he was used to, and encompassed more of his flesh. Not in total volume or number of formations, but in how the glyphs themselves seemed more complex, building on from what he already had.

  In the leftmost statue, where he wore the leather and chain, his eyes peered off into the distance and he carried a heavy pack on his back. His clothes seemed worn from travel.

  It reeked of exploration and preparation — of one who could crawl to the ends of the earth, and delve deeper and longer than anyone else.

  Of the centermost statue, his blade was thrust out with one hand, crackling with formless energy as the burning might of a star erupted from his left. It was swift and destructive, speaking of power and capability — of one that hit hard and persisted through much. An overwhelming devastation, rather than an extended campaign — ending fights faster than their resources ran low.

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  And in the rightmost, he had his hand on Porkchop’s back. An ethereal battle standard rose from an inscription that reached up the back of his neck and stretched down his spine. From its light, he felt bolstered — an aura that lit the way for all under his command.

  All three called to him.

  Without waiting for his guide’s prompting, he dove into their descriptions.

  Runeblade Wayfarer:

  Class - Tier II

  Heroic

  Relevant Feats:

  Has Runeblade Initiate class; has delved beyond the twenty-fifth layer; has completed a delve before class selection; has completed a Crucible; has delved through extreme environmental hazards; has survived second tier afflictions; has lived without a permanent residence for the majority of their life; has a bond with a Greater Beast; had ridden on a greater beast without injury; has traveled an average of ten leagues every day for the last year; had capped all general skills before class selection; has achieved at least six Honours in the first tier; has earned at least two Persistent Survivor Honours; has a resistance skill of Heroic rarity; has Latent Glyph of Aelina; has Latent Glyph of Muthryn, Throat of VOS

  Not all Runeblades are built alike. The Order reaches far, and its needs are great. With their most capable being few in number, there is need for some to range into territories so hostile that their contemporaries would wither. They are the first line of defence, the early warning call when fires burn over the horizon. They are the explorers, charting maps and warning their less capable brethren of where they should tread. Above all, they are survivors.

  Always on the move, and rarely in welcoming lands, Runeblade Wayfarers are amongst the least seen of the Order’s militant branch. Part scout and part expeditionary force unto themselves, their glyphs are bent towards longevity, controlling the battlefield, and movement. While perhaps less leveraged towards direct combat than others in their Order, those that mistake this for weakness will find themselves eviscerated by potent blade arts, and hunted to the ends of the earth.

  All Arcane and Martial affinity skills are improved by 60%

  All Glyph Binding, Spellsword, and Survival type skills are improved by 120%

  Stats:

  +2 Constitution, +3 Vitality, +2 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +4 Intelligence, +4 Willpower, +4 Free Stats per level

  Skill Resonance:

  Explorer’s Toolkit - Strong

  Truesight - Strong

  Uncanny Dodge - Strong

  Lesser Regeneration - Moderate

  Tempered by Dissonance - Moderate

  Tonal Weaving - Moderate

  Rapid Adaptation - Weak

  Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus - Weak

  ….

  Runeblade Hellion:

  Class - Tier II

  Heroic

  Relevant Feats:

  Has Runeblade Initiate class; has completed a Crucible and learnt Cycling; has empowered a spell to a higher tier equivalent through VOS; has slain multiple opponents more than 125 levels over their own; has awakened an Epic growth weapon; has gained six or more combat Honours in the first tier; has slain a beast of draconic lineage before level 100; has remained unbroken in the face of death; has at least 3 combat glyphs; has at least 3 sword arts; has primarily advanced through combat with higher leveled beings; has four stats over 1000; has Latent Glyph of Drakthar; has Runeblade Hymnfocus; has Latent Glyph of Muthryn, Throat of VOS

  Amongst the Runeblades of the Vesryn Order, there is a lauded branch that many strive for and few reach. Joining their number is not a question of capability or talent, for every Vesryn militant is skilled beyond compare. Instead, it is a question of mentality, drive, and a commitment to violence. Rare is it someone who hails the call of destruction to the extent required of a Hellion, and rarer still is the mind that takes so keenly to deeper truths. Where they walk, VOS roars like thunder, and glyph and blade strike like lightning.

  Elite amongst elites, the enemies of the Order fear the day that a Hellion leaves the cloister, for it means Vesryn has committed to war in truth. While possessing the full spectrum of Vesryn Glyphs, the forms practiced by the Hellion are tuned to one thing: explosive power. So too do their blade arts focus on swift devastation. A walking coup de grace; a breathing siegebreaker, they embody the Runeblades’ core tenets: a swift flare of violence. Focused wielders of destruction that they are, more than any other they rely on their blades and their companions to support them through extended engagements.

  All Arcane, War, and Martial affinity skills are improved by 40%

  All Spellsword, Armament Technique, and Glyphbinding type skills are improved by 80%

  Stats:

  +4 Constitution, +2 Vitality, +4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +6 Intelligence, +4 Willpower per level

  Skill Resonance:

  Explorer’s Toolkit - Strong

  Resonance Amplification - Strong

  Lesser Regeneration - Strong

  Uncanny Dodge - Strong

  Tonal Weaving- Moderate

  Truesight - Weak

  Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo - Weak

  Tempered by Dissonance - Weak

  ….

  Runeblade Vizier:

  Class - Tier II

  Heroic

  Relevant Feats:

  Has the Runeblade Initiate class; has successfully lead a team through a Delve with an average level 100 higher than their own; has completed a Crucible and learnt cycling; has used team work to defeat opponents double their level; has at least 1000 Intelligence; has capped all general skills in the first tier; has successfully assisted others with achieving notable feats of strength; has gained a team based honour in the first tier; has gained at least 10 honours in the first tier; has Latent Glyph of Eirnith; has Latent Glyph of Muthryn, Throat of VOS

  Contrary to popular belief, the militant branch of the Vesryn Order does not solely consist of Runeblades — even if it does carry their namesake. The requirements are too stringent, too demanding. For every Runeblade, there are a dozen auxiliaries who joined too late, or were found lacking. Yet, even a failed Runeblade is a terror, and the manpower they represent is a terrifying thing. Led by a Vizier, tight knit teams of these militants form the body of their forces. Do not underestimate them — a Vesryn spellteam is a terrifying machine of violent efficiency. I’ve seen singular units break sieges and depose kings. If they field a full battalion led by a Warmind, my counsel is to surrender.

  The Vizier forms the backbone of the Vesryn Order. Without their mastery of empowerment, the Order’s militants would be little more than a scattered collection of elites: feared and strong, but unable to command the vast swathes of territory that it does. Strong in both blade and glyph, where they truly excel is in their tactical acumen, their ability to reshape battlefield engagements, and their capacity to empower those that fight alongside them.

  All Arcane, Martial, and Unity affinity skills are improved by 40%

  All Glyph Binding, Spellsword and Leadership type skills are improved by 120%

  Stats:

  +2 Constitution, +2 Vitality, +3 Strength, +3 Dexterity, +8 Intelligence, +4 Willpower per level

  Skill Resonance:

  Tonal Weaving - Strong

  Resonance Amplification - Strong

  Explorer’s Toolkit - Strong

  Uncanny Dodge - Moderate

  Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus - Moderate

  “Well, fuck.”

  Anyway, Patreon had a super even split between the vizier and the hellion, with a few devout wayfarer stans. Interested to see what people feel about them here!

  Feel free to pick apart the requirements, theoretically they should all be 'equal'ish but different flavour. Same with the first two classes. Unfortunately, coming up with them literally turns my brain into mushy peas so having people go 'wait, why zyx, and not xyz?' helps me to know what I should add, tweak, or change for the ebook.

  Wanna read the rest of the book? Check out Patreon!

  https://discord.gg/NjsqGKHHaY