Those time travelers that year

19. Flame Demon

The outcome of the battle was predetermined from the very beginning.

On one side are visitors from three worlds, warlocks whose primary profession is the pursuit of power, skilled in spreading destruction, inflicting pain, and dealing with demons. However, because Sargeras was unaware of other worlds beyond the Azeroth universe, this place wasn't connected to the Twisting Nether, meaning the Burning Legion was incredibly far away, and their last primary function was lost.

On the other side were a group of low-ranking outlaws. In the war-torn province of Skyrim, lords either supported the Stormcloaks, the Imperial Army, or temporarily remained neutral. Amidst the chaos, numerous heroes rose up, and capable outlaws seized the wilderness fortresses that the Imperial Army had been forced to abandon due to its need to concentrate its forces against the rebels. As a result, whether it was rebel territory, lords loyal to the Imperial Army, or even those who had remained neutral, they were all thoroughly annoyed by these bandits.

While these guys wouldn't dare show themselves in front of the regular army, the villages or towns scattered around the city were in trouble.

Those who fared slightly worse at least managed to seize a mine and negotiate with the surrounding lords; others holed up in well-hidden caves close to the main road, happily collecting tolls from passersby each day; the worst off could only join a cult, but at least they lived comfortably. We, the treasure-hunting bandits, were indeed the most miserable group in all of Skyrim.

No house, no weapons, no wealth. So, they had no choice but to risk venturing into an ancient Nord tomb that was clearly a trap, in search of some dubious treasure.

This comparison, as mentioned before, meant that the outcome of the battle was predetermined from the very beginning.

These bandits weren't entirely stupid. Those with bows immediately nocked arrows and fired at the menacing mage. The others, equally astute, drew their short swords or one-handed axes and charged haphazardly towards the enemy. Anyone with half a brain knew they couldn't allow a mage enough opportunity to unleash their destructive spells. Facing these fierce mages from Skyrim, the primary objective wasn't to dodge their spells—that would likely send them to Somgard in a fireball—but rather to find a way to get close, force them to cast defensive spells, deplete their mana, and stall until they were out of mana.

No matter the world, pure mages who can't cast spells are a bunch of weaklings.

Unfortunately for the bandits, they encountered a sorcerer far beyond their comprehension. The first arrows to fly were stopped mid-air by an invisible barrier. This spell, originating from the Harry Potter world, was completely obscured in Ciel's hands; it was no longer the magic intended merely to hinder others' progress. The invisible barrier stood before Ciel, its titanium alloy plates far too hard for these inferior iron-tipped arrows made with medieval craftsmanship to penetrate.

With a series of clangs and cracks, all the arrows aimed at the Charles fell limply to the ground.

At this moment, the melee-focused bandits had already rushed down the stone steps, roaring as they swung their one-handed weapons—short swords, battle axes—at Xia'er. Their shouts pierced the wind; their actions were resolute, their will unwavering. They firmly believed that this full-force attack would teach the mage before them a profound lesson. It was common knowledge that mages were very wealthy; even those mages involved in organized crime were far richer than these lowly scum. Driven by the dream of robbing a mage, these bandits were invigorated.

Unfortunately, they aren't the jungler Lun who shouted "Demacia!" in Valoran, so there's no silence effect; nor are they Olaf, who wields two axes and can use his E skill, Reckless Slash, to deal true damage, and who also hangs out in Valoran.

Therefore, it was utterly impossible for them to penetrate the barrier and attack Shar. As expected, the attacks of the two close-range bandits were completely ineffective. Their powerful swings were deflected with a thud, as if hitting a wall, and they were involuntarily pushed back by the recoil. Then they could go no further; two shadow arrows pierced their chests, and they fell to the ground.

Before the bandits attacking from afar could even react in alarm, Charles, this time holding the wand he had taken from the HP world, pointed it at the bandits standing at the very top of the stone steps.

Flames erupted from the tip of the wand, rushing towards the remaining bandits as if alive. This was the Fiendfyre spell, the most dangerous fire spell in the Harry Potter world, considered by wizards to be demonic fire, hellfire. Once cast, it summons ever-growing, increasingly powerful demonic fire that can mimic monstrous forms, relentlessly pursuing anything flammable, friend or foe—a far more potent form of dark magic than the spell "Firestorm." The Fiendfyre spell summoned by Ciel far exceeded the imagination of any dark wizard in the Harry Potter world. Spreading destruction, Ciel, as a sorcerer, was far more capable than those petty dark wizards in the Harry Potter world.

The current Fiendfyre spell has been infused with the sorcerer's fel energy and shadow power by the Charr, making it more dangerous, more violent, and more destructive. The characteristic of the Fiendfyre spell is that the Fiendfyre summoned after its use possesses a degree of intelligence. And if the wizard wielding the Fiendfyre spell cannot subdue it with their own power, they will be mercilessly devoured by the spell.

Flames surged from Ciel's wand, gradually coalescing and transforming under Ciel's will into a roaring, fiery, and enraged demon. Its colossal size rivaled, or even surpassed, the giants roaming Skyrim. It possessed a fiery head, jet-black horns, and wings formed from black smoke. One hand wielded a three-pronged flaming whip, while the other held a similarly blazing greatsword.

In Shire's hands, the Fiendfyre spell underwent a transformation that even the dark wizard who created it hadn't anticipated. Now, the Fiendfyre spell truly became a demonic fire, a hellfire...

The demon emerging from the flames was a Balrog, modeled after the Balrog from *The Lord of the Rings*, which solidified the Fiendish Curse's reputation as "devil's fire" and "hellfire." In Skyrim, besides the legendary dragons, what else left a deep impression on these Nords? Demons. Every Nord knew that if it weren't for the Annihilation Crisis and the invasion of Dagon, the descendants of their revered saint, Talos, wouldn't have been completely extinguished.

So, faced with the demon emerging from the flames, these bandits, especially the native Nord bandits, were completely bewildered. Not everyone has the courage to charge into an invincible enemy, not even the renowned Nords. Thus, the remaining bandits collapsed instantly.

But their scattering and fleeing could not stop the Balrog's carnage. The Balrog, with its short lifespan, mercilessly spread death. Flames evaporated the snow on the ground, turning the stones black and red-hot. The Balrog roared, wielding its flaming whip, trapping a bandit. With a pull, there was no scream of death, only terrifying despair; the bandit caught in the flaming whip instantly turned to ashes.

The flaming greatsword cleaved down, easily tearing the bandits' flesh apart and turning them into charred remains. The Balrog unleashed its violence and flames, slaughtering the few remaining bandits before stopping and walking behind Charles, who had reached the top of the stone steps.

In Charles's hands, the souls of those dead bandits who should have gone to Somgard or the Annihilation Realm were intercepted and turned into soul fragments in his hands, shimmering with crystalline light and carrying the mournful cries of souls carried by the wind.

20. Strengthen our great FFF group

Even within the D&D universe, conjuring a Balrog from fire is a considerable achievement. Of course, Charles knew that the Balrog he had summoned, formed from the Fiendfyre spell, was merely a facade, far inferior to the high-ranking demons in the D&D world, second only to the Demon Lords. At least, the Balrog Charles had summoned possessed neither spiritual energy nor magic; in the D&D universe, a well-equipped warrior could easily shred it to dust.

Against the mages of D&D, this Balrog born from the Fiendfyre spell would probably suffer an even more gruesome death. But that has absolutely nothing to do with Char. Using the Fiendfyre spell to summon a mere Balrog was simply a matter of saving time and effort. He didn't have the time to personally deal with some of the worst bandits in Skyrim; bestowing them two Shadow Bolts was already a sign of respect…

Although they were just weaklings, he could still gain something from them; after all, souls are a form of hard currency. What Ciel regrets now is not having visited the Fullmetal Alchemist world. Learning to create the Philosopher's Stone would have prevented him from wasting his soul fragments. If these bandits had spellcasters, Ciel could have directly read the information from their souls, taking a shortcut to learn the spells of that world. Even a melee master would be helpful; he could learn how to use weapons and perhaps even become a magic swordsman.

Unfortunately, as we mentioned before, these bandits were all utterly useless. Besides intimidating people with sheer numbers and bullying those outnumbered, they had nothing else to do. If they were truly skilled, they wouldn't have had to risk venturing into ghoul-infested tombs.

The platform outside the tomb was deserted; only the bandits who had already entered remained. Oh, and there were also ghouls and frost spiders scattered everywhere, but those were no problem. Both ghouls and frost spiders were weak to fire, easily dealt with. The only real challenge was the final ghoul overlord. That ghoul overlord was likely a Nord king, or at least a lord, in life. His weak performance in the game was simply because it was a low-level quest; how else could the main storyline progress?!

Of course, in reality, Sharl wasn't so sure. After all, this was a high-ranking Nord barbarian, someone who could use dragon roars. You see, the ancient Nords weren't like dragonborn with cheat codes, able to activate dragon roars simply by slaying dragons and using their souls. Those who could master the art of roars were all geniuses. How many people in Skyrim could use dragon roars? Aside from the Greybeards who secluded themselves and dedicated their lives to learning the art of roars, only Ulfric, the rebel leader, remained.

In the game, dragon shouts are limited by data. In the story, Ulfric used a dragon shout to directly shatter the former High King of Skyrim into pieces. Considering this, Ulfric likely doesn't know Lightning Storm or Time Stop; he learned them from Greybeard, whose dragon shouts are Sunny Day, Cyclone Energy, and Unyielding Force. The most likely dragon shout Ulfric learned is this one that blows people away in the game. In the story, this means he could directly kill someone with Unyielding Force and tear them to pieces.

This suggests a significant difference between the game and reality. And that ghoul overlord deep within the tomb can unleash the Dragon Roar of Unyielding Power; if it possesses the same level of power as Old Ulquiorra in the storyline, then things really get complicated.

——————————Divider Line——————————

Inside the tomb, in the main hall of the first level, a flame dispelled the darkness and the cold. This first level was the safest place; the ghouls wouldn't leave the tomb on their own. There were no other ghostly creatures here, so after the leader led a few people down, two people remained on the first level to relieve them.

Whether by coincidence or not, a man and a woman just happened to be having an affair here. So you can imagine what would happen if dry wood met a raging fire next to a warm campfire? In short, what's spreading here is a kind of... (censored)... you all understand.

In short, as a single author... oops... Ciel, what would you do if someone was having sex in front of you? As a veteran member of the FFF group, Ciel says this is completely intolerable.

The flames of the [Fiendfyre] spell blasted open the closed tomb door. Charles had no concern about disturbing the ancient Nords' slumber; after all, the ghouls below weren't his ancestors, so who cared?! Thus, the sudden burst of flames terrified the two bandits who were still rolling around on their mats, having sex. Then, the demon that emerged from the flames completely stunned them. Screams rang out. Neither of them wore any armor, and even if they did, it would be useless. Their weapons were scattered to the side; even if they still had their weapons, their unenchanted iron swords were clearly ineffective against the fire demon.

So he got up, put down his gun, and made a strategic retreat into the depths of the tomb.

Then he was whipped into charcoal by a flaming whip.

"? (The spell has stopped!)!" Charles, who had entered from behind, casually harvested the souls of the two cannon-wielding men and then dispelled the [Fiendfire Curse]. This place was different from outside; if all the air were used up, even a warlock would die, and Charles wasn't a Forsaken.

The Flame Demon, having unleashed its killing spree, exploded into a shower of sparks, mercilessly obliterated by its discarded master.

"I bet the Dragonborn who come will be completely dumbfounded!" Looking back at the shattered gate and the charred rocks outside, Sharl walked towards the staircase leading into the ground. "But whatever, I don't need those meaningless things like dragonstones, and I don't want to get involved. I'll just stay here."

……

Dry, cold...

This was Charles's first impression of the tomb as he descended the steps.

This is only what's visible to the naked eye. In places unseen by ordinary sight, through his senses, Sharl could clearly feel a dark aura, or rather, the aura of death, deep within the tomb. This meant that many monsters resurrected from the dead had gathered here, resulting in a high concentration of negative energy. Ordinary people who stayed here would soon contract diseases, and after death, they might even be slowly transformed into undead creatures.

However, this is not a problem for warlocks who have mastered the power of shadow. Although they are not death knights, don't forget that the predecessor of the death knight was us archwarks.

However, even so, there are still some things that are not easy to get used to...

21. Target: Nord Barbarians

The path through the tomb was difficult, narrow and winding, the air thick and musty. Countless milky-white spiderwebs hung from the stone walls, and on the ground lay several dead snow rats. These creatures, large-scaled rats living in Skyrim, were rather annoying; their furtive figures could always be seen in caves and sewers. Most notably, these snow rats didn't run away from humans like regular rats; instead, they would actively attack. Furthermore, these little creatures all carried infectious pathogens and were social animals, making them a constant nuisance to the inhabitants of Skyrim.

The dead snow rats were covered in wounds from sharp weapons, clearly the work of the first group of bandits who ventured deep underground in search of treasure.

Sharl paid little attention to the snow rat corpses and continued forward. The passage twisted and turned, eventually leading to another set of stone steps deeper into the catacombs. The scale of the entire underground tomb in reality far exceeded that in the game, and with many passages blocked by crumbling rocks, Sharl estimated that the tomb was one or two times larger than it appeared. This made one wonder if the ancient Nords had simply hollowed out half of the entire Frostfall Mountain Range; otherwise, it would be impossible to decipher the astonishing scale of the tomb.

After walking further in for several minutes, a living person finally appeared before Charles. It was a bandit dressed like the ones he had killed, but wielding a two-handed axe. This bandit, who was probably in his thirties or forties, was stunned for a moment when he saw Charles calmly walking down the steps, but he quickly recovered.

It was obvious that Charles wasn't one of their people, and the fact that he could easily walk down from there made the bandit realize the truth immediately. Unfortunately, he had nowhere to escape. Behind him was a very spacious room, but the passage at the end of the room had been blocked by an iron gate that had been triggered.

Opening the door required pulling a lever, but unfortunately, that lever wasn't so easy to pull. At least for now, he didn't have a chance to pull it and escape. So, this outlaw, quite brazenly, wielded his great axe and charged towards the seemingly unsuspecting Shar. Like all Nord barbarians, he attacked the mages who possessed mystical knowledge with fearless courage and unwavering will.

History has proven that the awesome Nord barbarians are capable of becoming gods, so there's no reason for the Nords to fear those mages who spend their days buried in scrolls and books.

But not every Nord is the first Dragonborn Emperor.

So, the Nord barbarian bandit, the moment he charged out and swung his iron two-handed axe at the Charr, was sent flying backward, losing his weapon. He crashed into the stone wall, and the next second, the axe that had slipped from his grasp flew back, piercing his chest and pinning him against the wall.

As death approached, the Nord barbarian bandit looked at Charles, opened his blood-stained mouth, but before he could do anything, his head lolled to the side and he collapsed. Charles then intervened, cutting his soul off from the path of either Songgard or the Annihilation Realm, adding another fragment to his soul.

"Now I finally understand why the mages in D&D look down on barbarians!" Watching the valiant Nord bandit barbarian marching towards his execution, utterly futile, Sharl sighed. "They're basically all brainless. Without anyone backing them up, these guys are just a tragic figurehead! They're brutally countered by magic until they die, and in such a pathetic way..."

Shaking his head and sighing, Charles continued on his journey.

Upon entering the room, Charles saw the lever on the floor, went over to pull it, and frowned. Clearly, he couldn't move it with his own strength alone. In the game, pressing E would easily move a lever, but in reality, it wasn't like that. These mechanisms, which had been in use for who knows how long, although designed with lifespan in mind and with extra protection, had inevitably suffered damage over the years; at least half of the lever was rusted. Pulling this lever didn't look like it would be easy.

That's probably why the robber didn't run away.

"So in situations like this, mages have even more reason to despise barbarians!" Charles ignored the lever and walked directly to the fallen iron door. He pulled out his wand from his trench coat, muttering to himself as he pointed it at the door. "The Opening Charm only works on locked doors. So it's definitely more effective against these kinds of doorways!"

"Crushed to pieces!"

Crack! The shattering spell struck the iron gate, and then the entire gate and the surrounding stone wall shattered into pieces with a loud bang. Amidst the billowing dust, Charles continued walking forward.

The journey became much easier from then on. Aside from encountering a group of snow rats that suddenly appeared out of nowhere while climbing a spiral wooden staircase, and being roasted alive by a blazing incantation, there were no other obstacles. So far, Shire hadn't encountered any of the Skyrim's ghouls, a specialty of tomb raiding.

However, so far, apart from the passageway, there's nothing else, and no remains of the ancient Nords have been found, which is slightly different from the rumors. But it seems that the ghouls are still further inside.

At the end of the stone passage was a twisted bend, a type of bend Ciel had seen several along the way. Before him lay a small hall, now completely covered in a thick blanket of white spiderwebs. These webs clung to the walls and floor, creating a white expanse. Ciel stepped onto them and instinctively adjusted his boots. These shoes, which he'd taken from a London shop in the Harry Potter world before leaving, weren't performing well in this environment; it was like how snow always seemed to get inside his shoes when climbing mountains.

In this room, on the floor and in mid-air, the mummified corpses bound by spider webs show that the spiders living here are quite welcoming to visitors.

"Hey! Who's on their way?!" A worried voice rang out, seemingly sensing the arrival of strangers. "Harnixon? Jobel? Sorin?"

“I’m sorry, the people you mentioned aren’t coming back,” Charles replied to the anxious voice. “Who told them to block our way! But…” The two voices echoed in the room, and then, a giant spider descended from the ceiling on its web. “…After I’ve dealt with this spider that’s eaten too much, we’ll discuss in detail how to open that ancient Nordic mechanical door at the bottom!”

22. Corrosion

(Tormenting your body is my job, tormenting your mind is my interest - Affliction Warlock)

The spiders of Skyrim are extraordinary monsters, as those who haven't seen them before would find it hard to believe that spiders could grow to almost the size of an ox. Moreover, the very existence of spiders in Skyrim's climate is a miracle, let alone their ridiculously large size.

Frostspiders are large spiders that inhabit Skyrim, ranging in size from as large as a cow to as small as a wolf. These creatures are entirely carnivorous, typically weaving webs in abandoned ruins or caves. However, their webs are merely for storing prey. Their attack method involves first spraying corrosive venom at their target from a distance. This venom paralyzes the victim, weakening and reducing their life force. Then, the large spiders pounce, tackling their prey to the ground.

Like snow rats, these creatures are a menace in Skyrim, but Frost Spiders are far more ruthless, as they prey on almost any small or medium-sized creature.

The Frost Spider now before Xia Er, if nothing unexpected, is the culprit behind the unfortunate soul about to become food and the desiccated corpses on the ground. However, this Frost Spider doesn't look well. These spiders are usually social creatures, typically consisting of two large Frost Spiders and at least four smaller ones. But here there's only one, and this Frost Spider doesn't look too good either…

A distinct wound marked the spider's forehead, where its eyes were located. The wound was rotting, oozing a nauseating, viscous green liquid. The spider's legs were twisted in a strange position, and bore several cuts. If nothing unexpected happened, the spider would slowly die from its rotting wounds, but with enough food, it might survive for a while longer…

These wounds didn't seem to be left by treasure-hunting bandits; they wouldn't have been capable of doing so. This meant that deeper within the tomb lay monsters far more terrifying than this spider. Charles certainly knew what lay below. This Frost Spider might be a formidable enemy to many, but to the ghouls, it was merely a larger target. Clearly, this spider had ventured deep into the tomb, presumably to expand its lair and see if the withered corpses were still usable. It just hadn't expected that the ghouls would leave it almost entirely behind.

Without a second thought, the spider attacked Sharl as soon as it landed. Clearly, such a severe injury required more food to heal, so the first thing the Frost Spider did was spew out corrosive venom. Just like with the bandits it had dealt with before, it first used venom to injure or weaken its enemy, then tore through their flesh with its bites.

This time, however, the large frost spider was unlucky, because it didn't encounter those impoverished barbarian bandits, but rather a real monster capable of killing it. Performing a display of slaughter and destruction before a warlock? The frost spider quickly paid the price.

The intricate spells, once again forming an invisible barrier, blocked the venom spewed by the Frost Spiders. Even with such potent venom, these creatures were still flesh and blood; their stomachs couldn't possibly contain acids strong enough to dissolve titanium alloy. The venom flowed down the invisible barrier, declaring the Frost Spiders' attack futile.

Before the Frost Spider could pounce on the enemy for melee combat, the warlock launched his counterattack.

An invisible dark force, transforming into a phantom demon, coiled around the Frost Spider's body. The next moment, the Frost Spider screamed. Intense pain erupted from within its body, accompanied by a hissing sound. The Frost Spider collapsed to the ground in agony, its body curled up. But the power that had invaded its body continued its relentless destruction of all tissues and organs, far surpassing the corrosive power of the Frost Spider's venom, tormenting the monster's flesh and mercilessly claiming its life.

Corrosion Technique

Curses are undoubtedly a powerful, invisible weapon of magic. Some have said that curses aren't meant to take life, but to inflict a fate worse than death. In a warlock's curses, both torture and the taking of life are combined, causing all who oppose the curse to die in excruciating agony. When Sharl first used a curse, his target wasn't a powerful warrior, but merely a wild beast. The effect far exceeded Sharl's expectations; the Frost Spider died quickly. Dissecting the Frost Spider at this point revealed that the predator's body had been completely corroded, leaving only a pool of blood.

——————————Divider Line——————————

After dealing with the spider, Ciel walked to the end of the room and looked at the unfortunate fellow who was trapped in the spider web.

"...Hey, great...you did it! Put me down now! Before anything else terrible appears." After seeing how easily Sharl had killed the Frost Spider that had wiped them out, the unfortunate fellow swallowed hard, forcing a smile as he begged Sharl, "I am Avil the Swift, put me down..." His dark skin, deep red eyes, and long, pointed ears proved that this unfortunate fellow was a dark elf, not a human.

"Where is the Golden Dragon Claw?" Charles asked bluntly.

“I know how to use which claw, and... and the symbols, the door to the Hall of Stories, I know how to put them together.” Having escaped danger, Avel's greed immediately dispelled his fear. “Help me down, I'll show you. You won't believe what the Nords have hidden here!”

"Give me the Golden Dragon Claw..."

"Hey buddy, look at me! Do I look like someone who can take out anything? Put me down already, stop dawdling, if you still want this treasure!"