The weight of the crown felt heavier than its gold and jewels as King Rega IV sat upon the throne. The faint, almost imperceptible, stain on the marble floor served as a stark reminder of the bloody dawn of his reign. Before him stood Njiru, the black mage, no longer gaunt and chained, but clad in surprisingly well-fitting, if somewhat somber, robes provided by the royal tailor.
Njiru's hollow eyes, now possessing a disconcerting clarity, scanned a series of meticulously detailed scrolls spread across a heavy oak table. "As you now command, Your Majesty, I have compiled a preliminary inventory of your late father's… endeavors." He cleared his throat, a dry, rustling sound. "It appears his… scientific curiosity… extended far beyond the acceptable boundaries of royal decree."
He unfurled the first scroll. "In the northern territories, near the Black Peaks, there was Project Chimera. Utilizing captured vultures and mountain lions, your father's mages attempted to create… hybrid beasts. Initial reports indicate a high mortality rate among the subjects, with surviving specimens exhibiting… unpredictable temperaments and a regrettable tendency to devour their handlers."
Rega leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "Vulture-lion hybrids? What was the intended purpose?"
"Unclear, Your Majesty," Njiru replied, consulting the scroll. "Potentially for aerial shock troops, though the logistical challenges of their care and control appear to have been… significant. The project was overseen by a Master Alchemist Bolgar, whose current whereabouts are… unknown."
Njiru moved to the next scroll. "In the southern marshlands, there was Project Amphibious. This involved the manipulation of piranhas and captured soldiers to create… amphibious infantry capable of prolonged underwater combat. The results, according to these accounts, were… grotesque. Subjects displayed severe physiological deformities and limited cognitive function."
Rega's jaw tightened. "Deformities? Were these… successes?"
"By your late father's metrics, perhaps," Njiru said with a hint of disdain. "They could breathe underwater and possessed enhanced strength. However, their loyalty was… questionable, and their dietary requirements… unconventional. Seem a few escaped and their whereabouts unknown."
Scroll after scroll, Njiru's monotone voice detailed a variety of disturbing experiments. There was Project Golemheart, an attempt to imbue stone and mud constructs with stolen life force, often resulting in unstable and violent automatons. Project Aetherium, a reckless delving into the manipulation of raw magical energy, which had apparently resulted in several catastrophic explosions and the permanent scarring of a significant portion of the eastern plains.
Rega listened, his initial curiosity curdling into a cold fury. The sheer scope and callous disregard for life displayed by his father's misguided projects were staggering. He had envisioned a kingdom burdened by war and famine, but the extent of this hidden cruelty was far more profound.
"It appears several tree spirits called dryads were captured and were taken south west and an attempt was made to-"
Finally, Rega held up a hand, silencing Njiru. "Enough," he said, his voice low and heavy. "This… this madness ends now." He rose from the throne, his gaze hardening. "Njiru, your… expertise in these matters is now paramount. You will be responsible for assessing the viability and logical merits of *every* ongoing experiment initiated by my father."
Njiru's hollow eyes flickered with a hint of surprise, then a calculating gleam. "And if I deem them… unworthy?"
"Then they will cease immediately," Rega declared, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Any project deemed a failure, any experiment resulting in unnecessary suffering or posing a threat to the stability of the kingdom, will be… dealt with." He fixed Njiru with a piercing stare. "And you will send the subjects of those failures to *me*. I will personally oversee their… disposal. I need the target practice."
A strange mix of respect and something akin to fear flickered across Njiru's face. "Understood, Your Majesty. I shall be… thorough in my assessment."
Rega settled back onto his throne, the weight of his new responsibility pressing down on him. He had overthrown a tyrant, but the rot of his father's reign ran deep. He looked at Njiru, a dangerous alliance forged in the darkness of the dungeons. He would use the black mage's knowledge to cleanse the kingdom of this hidden horror, but he would ensure that power, even in the hands of a former prisoner, would be kept in check. The era of unchecked experimentation was over. The King would now decide what lived and what died.