Azjol-Nerub was indeed just as Reno had suspected. Its forces had been heavily depleted, leaving the city sparsely populated. Even the gates of Azjol-Nerub stood unguarded.
Stepping through the gates, they saw nothing but devastation: collapsed buildings, toppled statues, damaged murals, and runes that flickered faintly, glowed brightly, or had gone dark. Everything spoke of Azjol-Nerub's glorious past and its wretched present.
Even though Arthas had taken Azjol-Nerub, Crypt Fiends were still Crypt Fiends. They had lost the Nerubians' creativity. Beyond digging and fighting, they had given up any interest in things like sculpture and the Arcane. All they could do was wander through this ruined city as familiar strangers.
The Nerubian king had once lived in a magnificent palace. Though war had battered it into a shadow of its former self, much of the structure still remained. Arubrakan led Leiluo straight there. He knew that even though Anub'arak had become a servant of the Scourge, and had lost his interest in sculpture and the Arcane, the former Nerubian king—now a Crypt Lord—would still be waiting in his palace, waiting for an order from the Lich King, or for them to come and save him.
As they approached the palace gates, Arubrakan stopped. Nerubians could see through a Crypt Fiend's digging; it was useless to try to hide from them. As soon as Arubrakan halted, a large group of Crypt Fiends erupted from the ground and charged without warning at him and the Nerubian warriors behind him.
"Warriors of Nerub! Tear apart these monsters controlled by the Lich King! Even if they were once your comrades in arms, even if some of them are your family, you must grip your weapons and end their dark lives. Set them truly free!"
Arubrakan wasn't the kind of general who ordered others to