Undead

What do you think of that person?

The two remained silent the entire way. Jaina cautiously probed Nathanos's every move, and finally couldn't help but ask him a question.

The person walking in front didn't turn around to look at him, but simply said calmly, "You should understand people like you better than I do."

"You mean that person was also a mage?"

"And he also possesses astonishing power and magic you've never seen before."

Jaina nodded. She had known this all along in Dalaran, and she had tried to persuade Antonidas, but her mentor didn't seem to take it seriously.

"So far, I don't seem to have taken any action on my task. If my supervisor knew, he would definitely accuse me of coming here for a picnic."

They walked a while longer in silence, then Nathanos said to her, "King Terenas is simply focusing more on the Orcs' problems, but that doesn't mean he's ignoring the plague." He stared straight ahead—still no indication of where they were going next. Jaina decided to try again.

"So, you have a lead?"

"It wasn't there before, but it appeared after the prophet appeared."

"What? You suspect him?"

"No." Nathanos shook his head. "Of course I don't doubt him. I was just making an assumption: that man clearly doesn't want us involved, he wants us to turn back. But what if we don't? Does keeping going mean we can find something? Something that the prophet doesn't want us to see?"

"Something? What is it?" Jaina pondered, looking down.

"This road leads to Andorhal, a major city in Lordaeron and a vital food supply hub, as well as a transportation link connecting the capital, Hearthglen, and Stratholme. I think we might be able to find out something there."

"I don't really like crowded places, but I'm willing to trust you, since I don't have any other choice right now." Jaina smiled.

Their mission was now clear—to go to Andorhal and look for any other clues along the way. Two Quel'dorei Priest they encountered on the road joined them, perhaps sensing the strange disease ravaging the land and offering medical assistance. The two priests also provided more direct help—they led Nathanos and Jaina to a cylindrical grain silo.

"Look at this," Jaina said, looking up at the lone barn on the hill. It seemed somewhat abandoned; the broken door drooped, and it was pitch black inside.

"This place should be abandoned by now, but what about the ground around it?" She knelt on the ground, reaching out to grab a handful of dry soil and withered grass. After careful examination, the young mage discovered a dead insect, its six legs curled up on its abdomen. A gentle breeze blew, and it instantly turned into a wisp of black smoke.

"The land around this barn is dying, Nathanos."

"Shh!"

Jaina looked up, wondering why Nathanos wanted her to be quiet, only to find his eyes fixed on the barn. He then gestured for the two Elf Priest to step back. Jaina stood up as well.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Nathanos made a quiet gesture again, carefully took the bow and arrow from his body, aimed at the crack in the barn door, and released it the next second—a heavy thud echoed from inside the barn, startling Jaina.

Is anyone there?

"No, something's not right," Nathanos said. The sound was that of some creature falling to the ground, but why didn't it make any sound of pain when it was hit by an arrow?

Just as the two were at their wits' end facing the barn, a loud "boom" rang out, and the door was forcefully pushed open, flying straight toward Nathanos and Jaina!

"Watch out!" Before Jaina could even register the terror on her face, Nathanos blocked her path, his Nightblade sweeping forward and splitting the door in two. But there was something behind the widened gap.

At that moment, Nathanos could hardly believe his eyes. Dry skin, hollowed-out eye sockets, peeling skin, and rotting flesh oozing pus. He couldn't even process what this was, because the creature was reaching out with bloody hands to strangle him. Nathanos didn't give him the chance; he grabbed the creature's gaping head with his other hand, preparing to slam it to the ground. But to everyone's surprise, the next second after Nathanos exerted force, the gruesome head crushed like an orange. Brain matter mixed with dark red blood splattered onto Nathanos; he managed to turn his head to the side, saving half his face from the carnage.

"What is this thing?" he roared, a disgusting and putrid smell assaulting his senses. He tried to cover his mouth and nose with his hands or sleeves, but the things were no better than his face.

"Nathanos!" Jaina cried out.

"Don't come near me!" he responded, now even he despised himself. "Jaina, go see what this is, I'm going to wash it by the river, I'll be right back."

The female mage nodded, standing three meters away from him, but Nathanos had clearly presented her with a dilemma. Although Jaina was always curious about the unknown, she was, after all, a girl, and the sight of the gruesome corpse on the ground still frightened her. Besides her, the other two Elf Priest were also terrified by what had just happened and were completely unable to help.

"Okay, I'll do it myself!"

She didn't touch the corpse, but instead took a handkerchief from her bag and covered her mouth and nose. Then she squatted down and observed it carefully for a while until Nathanos returned.

"How is the situation?"

Jaina frowned. "This... seems to be an Undead creature."

"I've seen Undead," Nathanos replied. "Death Knight appeared during the Second Orcs, but they were far stronger than this guy. This is at best a... undead."

"I've heard of Death Knight, just like you said." Jaina looked up and noticed that Nathanos's leather armor was gone, leaving him in only a greyish-black shirt. She wondered why Nathanos wasn't shivering; it was winter, wasn't he cold?

"You suspect they are Orcs?"

"No." She shook her head and stood up. "I don't think it's the Orcs. I've read Orcs literature; they had a history of resurrecting skeletons during the First War, and then they created the Death Knight. I think their understanding of Undead should have become more complete, not regressed like this." Jaina spoke as if reciting academic texts, which was very convincing.

"You're really clever, Jaina," Nathanos complimented her, then knelt down to examine the body. He first lifted the withered hand—it was already rotting, with a piece of flesh hanging from the skin of the little finger, and the bone was exposed. He then examined the other parts of the body.

"I have a bad feeling," Nathanos said in a low voice.

"What bad feeling do you have?"

He turned to look at Jaina, who had asked the question, "This person... seems to have been... turned into Undead while still alive."

The author had too many things to do today and rushed to finish this chapter.