Chapter 137: Curious hoop
"Wait… so the Linchpin is a skill?" Irwin asked, shaking his head. "How is that possible?"
"No idea. But there are two of these hoops, both with cards, and that big monster above seems to power it all. They keep feeding it Imps to keep it quiet."
Irwin frowned as he recalled the massive Addled Imp.
"They are feeding Imps to an addled Imp chained to the Linchpin?" he asked, trying to make sure he understood.
Greldo grimaced. "Yeah. Balarn thinks they are somehow using it to power this weird shardworld. I mean, it's way bigger than it should be, and they can somehow create portals."
Irwin frowned, then gazed at Ambraz, who was quietly watching everything from his shoulder.
"Is this possible?" he asked.
"Which part?" the Anvil retorted, letting out a strangled sigh and continuing before Irwin could respond. "To keep a shardworld stable, you need a powerful thing or entity. You know that already, so I guess it's possible to use an Addled, though… that means the chain skill is definitely something special. I've never heard of something being able to drain anything from Addled."
"Balarn said the same thing," Greldo said.
"It didn't seem that big," Irwin said as he recalled the volcanic area he'd seen. "I've been to a few that seem bi-" he stopped as Greldo snickered.
"What?"
His friend shrugged. "This volcano is just the center of this shardworld. We searched for a way out for a long time, and the area beyond it is immense. Besides, did you see that forest?"