A foul stench filled the basement's maze of passages.
Theodore limped along, struggling to run.
Behind him, a Troll five or six meters tall, its muscles bulging, lumbered after him on thick legs, leaving a deep crater with every step.
Bang!
Unable to catch the slippery morsel, the Troll grew increasingly frenzied. It swung its enormous club down with tremendous force, smashing a deep pit into the floor.
Flying fragments struck Theodore's back, cutting bloody lines across it and making him stumble again.
Without looking back, Theodore lunged forward and swept his white jade wand behind him.
"Impedimenta!"
A transparent ripple spread backward, briefly hindering the Troll's advance, but it stopped for less than half a second.
Theodore rolled across the floor, picking up more small cuts on his face and palms. He paid them no heed, quickly getting up and running on.
Every so often, he fired a Disarming Charm behind him, hoping to knock the wooden club out of the Troll's hand, but its resistance to magic was truly formidable.
Its skin was like granite, and spells had no effect when they struck it. Fortunately, he was also quite good with the Impediment Jinx.
The Troll's brain was barely larger than a coconut, and it was incredibly stupid. That was how he had easily lured it here from the second floor, though doing so had cost him considerable effort and injuries.
After leading the Troll around in circles, Theodore judged that enough time had passed. He should have completed the delaying task the Chief had assigned him.
His pale face immediately turned ruthless, and the madness in his eyes burned brighter.
He was no coward who only knew how to take a beating!
He ran around a corner and immediately stopped, casually wiped the blood from his face,