Redo: Grimoire System in the Apocalypse

Even though she had calmed down, Geth could tell she was still anxious. The Mana around her was whipping around and distracting him from his work.

"You shouldn't be so tense," Geth stated.

The Mana became even more turbulent, causing Sindri's hair to flutter lightly across her shoulders.

"I.. I'm not tense."

Geth could practically see how forced her smile was. 

He could see that her emotions kept shifting from expectant to worried. It was a little trick he'd picked up from studying the Mana constantly.

'Not tense, my ass.' 

He placed one of his hands over hers and squeezed gently.

"Look, I know how Zolis can be. If it's what you want, that's fine, but you don't have to let her rush you into it."

She didn't hesitate in giving him a response.

"It is what I want!"

Her face instantly flushed, and a stunned look took the place of her previously nervous one. Sindri looked away quickly, but he could see that the Mana around her had become determined.

Geth smiled gently at her and took her hand into both of his.

"Then take your time."

He placed her hand down and was about to turn back to his work when she launched herself toward him. 

Her lips met with his, the soft texture of her skin pressing against him. Though stunned at first, he pushed back, causing their lips to mold together and their mouths to become one.

He opened his mouth, the sweet taste of her breath becoming more vital than the oxygen around them.

The two remained locked together for what felt like an eternity, each of their tongues vying for dominance against the other.

Geth's hand found its way to her face. He gently caressed her cheek and pulled himself away. 

Steam escaped their lips as the two separated, and their foreheads pressed together. The pair's ragged breathing resonated through the small space. 

Sindri closed her eyes, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

She pushed herself away and smoothed the wrinkles from her nightgown. The furs that hid her body had long since hit the ground.

"Well.. I think that's enough... I don't want to rush, after all."

She broke the silence with those few words and a light laugh. Geth smiled, a genuine smile that rarely graced the surface.

"Then I'll get back to work."

"Do... you mind if I stay and watch..?"

He looked over at the younger woman. She hadn't bothered picking up the fur mantle and remained exposed before him.

"I would be happy to have some company."

She nodded and didn't say anything else, simply scooting up next to him and looking at the board with interest.

Her soft skin pressed up against him, her curves and the silk of her dress pressing gently against his arms. Her long, black hair dangled softly over his shoulder.

The turbulent Mana around her had long since dissipated, leaving a soft and warm aura flowing outward.

He took a moment to gather himself before looking at the board. With a wave of his hand, a myriad of Skill Cards appeared in multiple piles beside the two.

Each stack of cards represented a different Skill. A large majority were repeats, but the number of each card was considerable.

"Albus, does this table have the ability to choose paths?"

'Elaborate.'

"If I were to merge twelve cards, do I get a choice of two Skills, is it random, or will it merge them into a specific Skill?"

'Do you see the six small gems embedded into the edges of the tablet?'

Geth looked at the table again and took note of the six gems. There was one embedded between each set of two card slots.

"Mhmm."

'Without testing, there isn't a way to know, but I believe that each represents a Rarity. Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and...'

Albus was silent for a while. Geth turned his sights into his mental sphere and saw his friend's face twisting in pain, something that happened when he tried to force himself to remember something.

'Aghh. I'm sorry I can't remember, but I'm positive there is something beyond the Legendary state.'

His friend frowned. Geth could tell that not having all of his memories weighed heavily on Albus' mind.

'If you look closely, there is a notch on each of the gems. The two Runes on either side of each Gem represent a one or a two. 

My guess is that the gems act as dials, and you can select the option with them. It will be a game of trial and error as you advance into higher Rarity Skills.'

"So what you're saying... is that I can go smoothly from a Common to Epic Skill... and then select a Legendary Skill I'm not interested in by mistake?"

'Correct.'

"Bummer."

Sindri listened in on Geth's one-sided conversation. She found his voice soothing, and it was cute that he was talking to his Grimoire out loud.

Her own Grimoire had taken a small hiatus after she'd selected her second Class. Being beside Geth right now ebbed away most of the loneliness she felt.

Geth looked at the stack of cards and made a quick calculation.

"To create a single card beyond the Legendary level will take 248,832 Common cards..."

Even Sindri couldn't help but take in a cold breath. 

Had their entire party even killed that many monsters? Let alone find that many of the same Common Skill Card.

Geth flashed her an awkward smile.

"I guess we have a long road ahead of us."

He didn't say it out loud, but he knew that there were twelve different potential Legendary outcomes. 

This meant that same 248,832 cards could be used to create all of the Legendary Skills. Or... they could be used for a single Skill beyond that Rarity.

Did that mean that there were 24 options beyond Legendary? If so, it would take 5,971,968 Common cards to unlock them all!

Geth already felt a headache coming on while thinking about it.