Abomination

"There are some more houses ahead, Your Highness," Farek reported.

"Alright then," Arthas said, "Let us..."

A sudden, loud bang startled Arthas to his feet. "What's going on?" He looked in the direction the sound came from. There were some almost invisible, short figures there, but the booming sound was unmistakable. "That's the sound of cannons. Follow!" He mounted a horse, pulled on the reins, and charged towards the direction of the sound.

Several Dwarf looked up at the approaching army. Both sides were equally surprised when they saw each other. Arthas pulled on the reins. "Your cannons! What are you attacking?"

"We're bombarding those cursed skeletons. They're crawling all over this damned village!"

A chill ran down Arthas's spine. He could now see clearly the monsters he had just encountered, dragging their slow, approaching steps. "Fire!" the Dwarf leader roared. Some skeletons were blasted to ashes.

"It seems I might need you," Arthas said. "I'm also investigating these damned monsters and trying to destroy them."

The Dwarf turned to him, his brown eyes wide. "You're investigating them? Ha! I see! Brothers, let's get moving. We're going to help this handsome young man!" He looked up at Arthas. "By the way, who are you, kid?"

Despite the terrifying moment, the Dwarf's rude tone amused Arthas. "Prince Arthas Menethil."

The Dwarf was speechless, but quickly recovered. "At your service, Prince Highness."

Arthas made no attempt at formalities; he quickly integrated the Dwarf into his army and began commanding their Charge. With each step forward, skeletons surged forth from all sides. Arthas tirelessly wielded his warhammer, the Holy Light coursing through his veins. Having the Dwarf in his ranks had been an incredibly wise decision. The enemy was numerous, and he couldn't guarantee he could handle them alone.

The human and Dwarf caravan advanced slowly but relentlessly into the depths of the village. Arthas leaped from his warhorse and charged into the very center of the pile of skeletons, his warhammer gleaming brightly in his hand. The initial shock and fear had faded; Arthas seemed to find killing these monsters far more satisfying than slaughtering Orcs. Orcs, because of their capacity for thought, often garnered pity from some, but these were nothing more than corpses; even if they possessed thought, they should remain in their graves, not emerge to frighten people. Now, he sent these people to where they truly belonged, without a trace of guilt. Besides, they looked like puppets, uttering sounds devoid of any language, clearly not intelligent life forms.

He knocked down two more, and Arthas couldn't help but let out a vicious sneer.

These people seemed to have been dead for a long time. There was no strong stench on them, and their bodies were not rotting but had been dried out, leaving only skeletons with pieces of clothing hanging on them.

"Prince Highness!" Saurfang's clear and powerful voice pierced through the noise. Arthas swiftly dealt with a walker attempting to decapitate him with a scythe and looked at him. Saurfang, wielding two swords, pointed ahead. "Look!"

Arthas turned in the direction he was pointing and immediately narrowed his eyes. He saw a group of humans. They were clearly alive, dressed in black robes, making various hand gestures—their hands were pale, and there was a faint green smoke swirling around them—they were casting spells! The fact that the skeletons hadn't attacked them was enough to show that they were the masterminds behind all of this.

"Over there! Aim at them!" Arthas roared.

Upon hearing the order, the Dwarf began to turn their cannons. Simultaneously, the soldiers Charge forward, their eyes fixed on the living man in the black robes, carving a bloody path through the enemy lines.

But the group ceased all activity immediately upon being attacked. The zombies they controlled stopped instantly, still moving but aimlessly. The black-robed figures became easy targets for the Dwarf cannons and soldiers, completely vulnerable. But soon the black-robed mages formed a circle, waving their hands as they began casting spells. Arthas saw the spatial vortex between them; they were attempting to open a portal.

"No! Don't let them get away!" he shouted, smashing his warhammer into a corpse and then swinging it in an arc to shatter another skeleton. But from where did these mysterious creatures summon so many skeletons and rotting corpses? They completely blocked Arthas's path, and he could only watch helplessly as they left, venting his anger on these worthless, superficial enemies.

On a farm just a few kilometers from Andorhal, more black-robed wizards gathered, standing amidst unharvested heaps of grain, sowing curses upon the newly sprouted wheat.

"Lord Kel'Thuzad, someone is approaching."

"I believe he will come looking for me." A calm voice, tinged with amusement, rang out. "Brothers, get out of here quickly! I'll stay behind to entertain our distinguished guest!"

Upon hearing the command, the men in black robes all marched in the same direction. Only Kel'Thuzad remained.

Nathanos and Jaina spotted the unusual green smoke rising from the farm's fields from afar. They rushed over immediately. Visibility dimmed around them. There were no pedestrians or Undead on the streets.

"You've finally arrived... Wait, aren't you Arthas?" Kel'Thuzad revealed himself, only to find that neither of the two people present were the ones he wanted to see.

"Kel'Thuzad!" Jaina gasped, instinctively covering her lips with her hand; she couldn't possibly mistake that face. Nathanos glanced at her quickly, wondering if they knew each other.

"Jaina?" Kel'Thuzad recognized her face and said with a hint of pleasure, "That old man Antonidas's apprentice has grown up?"

"What are you doing here?" Jaina asked, noticing two strangely moving shadows behind Kel'Thuzad —two Undead. "It's you! Did you create these Undead?"

Kel'Thuzad laughed and stretched out his arms, saying, "As you can see, I've learned a lot."

"You have been exiled," Jaina shouted. "The Kirin Tor forbade you from continuing your experiments! My mentor warned you that this would lead to disaster!"

"So I left that foolish council, little girl," Kel'Thuzad replied, "And I continued my experiment, making it ever more perfect."

"You!" Jaina's face turned pale as she glared at Kel'Thuzad through gritted teeth.

After their argument, it was Nathanos's turn to ask questions. "These crops seem different from usual. Did you make them? Will people who eat them turn into these two guys next to you?" He stared at the two Undead, who looked exactly like the ones he had encountered before.

"You're very clever. In fact, the plague in Lordaeron came from these grains," Kel'Thuzad said without any attempt to hide his true intentions. Jaina and Nathanos were surprised by his frankness.

"No wonder—this plague broke out without any warning."

"So what if you understand now?" Kel'Thuzad sneered, stroking his chin. He smiled, his eyes gleaming slightly in the shadow of his hood. That expression made Jaina want to teach him a lesson.

In response to his question and mockery, Nathanos replied bluntly, "Stop you, and then... take Arthas away!"

Kel'Thuzad was startled, realizing he might have let something slip at the beginning. Jaina also realized he had indeed said—"You are not Arthas"—could his target be the Prince of Lordaeron?

"You're clever, but unfortunately you won't leave alive!" Kel'Thuzad sneered, pointing a finger at two Undead who charged forward. This time, Nathanos didn't need to fire an arrow; Jaina chanted a spell, instantly freezing them into ice sculptures.

"Is this what you call 'becoming more and more perfect'?"

"This is merely the initial creation. Now, I will show you true terror!" He clapped his hands, and the ground trembled, then trembled again. A huge, pale creature emerged from behind a house. Its maggot-white body was covered in knots and stitches, its bald head had a gaping maw, and a hand holding a machete was attached to its shoulder. Its other two hands gripped a chained hook and a bloodstained knife.

It was taller than the Ogre, and its two eyes scrutinized the intruder who displeased Kel'Thuzad.

Jaina cried out, "By the Holy Light! That thing looks like it was sewn together from different corpses!"

"Watching time is over, now let's take it down together."