The fuse sucked the flame inwards towards the stick, but Ted and his companions were encased in a protective bubble of light.
The explosion ripped the worm apart, spilling acid all over Theinskvalur.
The rotting man screamed in agony as he corroded into bones at first, then into nothing at all. All that was left of Theinskvalur the Treacherous - and Eric, for that matter - was a metal amulet. The light around the hunting party transformed into a faint image of a person.
"I used up all my power," the sun god said.
Ted's heart sunk inside his chest.
"No more sun. For a year. Crops will die...but you will live."
That was the least hostile thing the sun god had ever said or done. Ignoring all magical boundaries, the deity had ensured once again that Ted would be safe from harm, paying dearly for the protective shield.
The deity was not an omnipotent one by any means.
