"Your class choice, then," the Ordinate said, moving the topic toward something Alarion was willing to discuss. "We assume you have already made a selection?"

"I have," Alarion answered, though with less conviction than one might've expected from someone who'd had weeks to choose. When she offered him a pen and paper, he took them and began writing down the details.

Slayer of Many Forms [Rare](Rank II)

Description: Through many battles, you have proven yourself a versatile combatant, one who has mastered a wide array of weapons and martial techniques. Whether wielding blades, fists, or thrown weapons, the Slayer of Many Forms adapts swiftly to any form of combat. This unparalleled skill in shifting between different fighting styles makes you a force to be reckoned with in any battle.

This class focuses primarily on skills and attributes related to martial combat, with a focus on versatility.

Requirements: Mastery of at least two weapon categories. Must have defeated an opponent of equal UCL or higher with at least three different weapon classes. STR – 500. AGI – 400. VIT – 400.

Growths - STR – +21 – 60% | AGI – +21 – 60% | VIT – +21 – 60% | INT – +21 – 40% | WIL – +21 – 40% | PER – +21 – 40%

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Bane of All [Epic](Rank II)

Description: A master of focused annihilation, you have honed your hatred to a razor's edge that has taken the lives of hundreds. But where others focus on a single nemesis, your violence is not so easily restrained. Whether Fiend, Soulless, or Bird, you have proven yourself the Bane of All who cross your path.

This class focuses primarily on skills related to the [Bane] feats of strength, with a focus on expanding those benefits to other targets.

Requirements: Three or more [Bane] feats of strength, at least one of which must be rank II. STR – 400. AGI – 350. VIT – 350.

Growths - STR – +24 – 60% | AGI – +24 – 60% | VIT – +24 – 60% | INT – +24 – 40% | WIL – +24 – 40% | PER – +24 – 40%

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Indomitable Warrior [Epic](Rank II)

Description: Your opponents have struck first, and they have struck hard, but you have always struck last. Mortared through willpower and defiance, you stand tall in the face of adversity and tragedy. As an Indomitable Warrior, you serve as an icon to those around you and a bulwark for those in need, but you must remain cautious, as things that do not bend are known to break.

This class focuses primarily on skills and attributes related to martial combat, with a focus on durability, as well as the defense of others.

Requirements: Possess the flaw [Single-Minded]. Suffer at least one near-death experience in the defense of others. STR – 500. AGI – 500. VIT – 750.

Growths - STR – +24 – 54% | AGI – +24 – 54% | VIT – +24 – 80% | INT – +24 – 54% | WIL – +24 – 54% | PER – +24 – 54%

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Stubborn Challenger [Epic](Rank II)

Description: Unwilling to yield even in the face of divine obstacles, the Stubborn Challenger has proven capable of tremendous feats of bravery, prowess, and obstinacy. Their power and potential are reflected in their class, driving them to greater heights than most.

This class focuses primarily on skills and attributes related to martial combat, unyielding resilience, and testing one's limits.

Requirements: [Challenger] feat of strength.

Growths - STR – +24 – 60% | AGI – +24 – 60% | VIT – +24 – 60% | INT – +24 – 40% | WIL – +24 – 40% | PER – +24 – 40%

Once again, there were no bad options on the list, though his options had changed somewhat since he'd first been presented with them. [Stubborn Savant] had been replaced by [Slayer of Many Forms], while [Stubborn Foe of Many] had morphed into the higher ranked [Bane of All]. Only [Stubborn Challenger] retained its initial concept and title, and that alone was enough for Alarion to place it at the very bottom of his list.

As with [Stubborn Savant] before it, [Slayer of Many Forms] had been Alarion's first choice simply because of how it spoke to him. It was a class focused on offense and unpredictability, two things he valued highly in any fight. If he'd been allowed to make the choice on the spot, it would have been the class he selected. [Bane of All], meanwhile, had been ZEKE's first suggestion. While Alarion had not been initially interested, his mentor had swayed him toward it with only a single fact.

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Ruin had taken [Bane of All] as a rank II class.

Unlike with skill choices, Auxilia were not permitted to rank up without the express permission of the bureaucracy; at least, not without exceptional circumstances. The reason behind this discrepancy was simple: skills were straightforward to remove, but classes were not.

Unwanted skills were a fact of life when dealing with poorly trained Auxilia. Soldiers would select a skill, only to realize too late that it carried a substantial drawback. While skill removal did not allow them to choose again, sometimes a bad skill could be worse than no skill at all. Most Ordinates could voluntarily excise a skill, with more established Ordinates able to do so against an Awakened's will— provided the Awakened was properly restrained. Only a small handful could boast the ability to revoke a class, and from what Alarion understood, the process was painful and intensive for both participants.

The delay caused by these practical realities had given Alarion plenty of time to think about his choices. He had vacillated between [Slayer of Many Forms] and [Bane of All] for over a week before [Indomitable Warrior] ever entered the equation.

[Indomitable Warrior] was the odd one out. It doubled down on his increasing resilience, and it had good rarity, but it'd gone largely overlooked in his initial debates. Durability was good, but he already had plenty of durability—what he wanted was more striking power or speed. Yet the more he considered it, the more right it felt.

He wasn't alone anymore. The other two options enhanced his personal power, but [Indomitable Warrior] was the only class that promised to help him protect those he cared about.

Alarion slid the paper back to the Ordinate, his messy handwriting detailing his choice.

"A fine choice," she said, and Alarion breathed a sigh of relief. Rank up approvals were mostly a rubber-stamp affair by what he understood, meant to weed out idiots taking self-sacrificial or forbidden classes, but he had still been nervous. "You may make the selection when you are ready."

Alarion nodded and turned his attention to his Status. He navigated to his rank up selection, chose [Indomitable Warrior], and confirmed it.

Level Up! Congratulations, your Indomitable Warrior Class has advanced to Level 1! STR +24. AGI +24. VIT +24. INT +24. PER +24. WIL +24.

A pulse of power took his breath away, a tingle that spread out from his heart to the tip of every extremity. The sensation was akin to that of a level-up or the attainment of a new skill, though somewhat muted as this was not his first ascension to rank II.

It took nearly a minute for the euphoria to subside. When it finally did, Alarion drew a deep breath and stood to pace the small office. The Ordinate waited patiently, reviewing his file as she waited for him to acclimatize to his newly enhanced body.

The Awakened were creatures of magic, first and foremost. Even pure warriors or other non-combat classes with no grasp of the arcane still utilized its power at their fundamental core. Each rank up only furthered that connection, increasing the divide between the Awakened and the mundane. At the earliest ranks, this difference was slight, but the gap widened the higher one climbed. Coming down from the height of his rank up, Alarion already felt superhuman. He could not imagine what it would feel like when he reached rank III.

Once he had finally settled, Alarion returned to the desk and opened his skill menu to see what options Indomitable Warrior would provide. Then something curious happened.

Four windows opened—then blinked out in a heartbeat. He willed them to return but received no response. He tried again and then a third time before pulling up his basic Status, looking for the source of the error.

Indomitable Warrior Class Skills

Pig-Headed Resilience – Level 10 – Progress – MAX The Best Offence is a Good Offense – Level 10 – Progress – MAX Endure Through the Pain – Level 8 – Progress – 61% Dimensional Evasion – Level 6 – Progress – 33% Dedication – Level 3 – Progress – 19% Last Stand – Level 1 – Progress – 0% Guardian's Oath – Level 1 – Progress – 0%

That was wrong. He should have had a waiting skill selection, as he did with [Orphan]. In its place was a new skill, and Alarion's heart raced as he pulled up the skill description for [Guardian's Oath].

Guardian's Oath [Rare]

Description: Experience has made you keenly aware of the value of life, and how easily it can slip away. With this skill, you give your word. Not again.

Requirements: Cannot already possess a Quest Skill [Overridden]. Fail to protect a loved one after promising to do so. VIT – 750.

Type: Quest/Passive/Active.

Duration: 24 hours.

Effects: Once per day, upon uttering an oath to protect someone from harm, a timed quest is assigned. For the duration of this quest, the user gains a moderate bonus to all attributes whenever the target of the oath is in danger, as well as an exact sense of their target's location and distance. All lethal damage that would be inflicted on the target is doubled and transferred to the user. The target must be able to hear the user's oath for this skill to take effect, but they do not need to comprehend the oath itself. The rewards for the assigned quest will vary depending on the difficulty of protecting the target.

Growths: VIT +15. LUK +15.

Note: Due to the flaw [Single-Minded], this skill was automatically selected.

Additional Note: Due to the flaw [Single-Minded], this skill can assign an oath without user consent. Oaths assigned in this fashion do not count toward the once-per-day limit. Oaths assigned in this fashion do not need to be spoken or heard.

Alarion breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a grunt of annoyance. He had no idea how the skill would have compared to its alternatives, but it wasn't bad. The System could be annoyingly vague, but in System speak, 'moderate' meant an increase anywhere from 21-40%. Stacked alongside [Last Stand], he could become an absolute menace when the chips were down. Even without that bonus, the ability to protect fragile allies such as Bergman was worthy of a skill slot–and that was before the possibility of rewards for doing so.

But all that was rationalization. Alarion knew why [Single-Minded] had selected the skill.

By the plain wording of the skill, it would be impossible for him to watch another loved one die if he gave his word to protect them. They would literally have to kill him first. Alarion would have selected it for that alone.

"Something wrong?"

Alarion shook his head with a thin smile. "Nothing at all."

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