Cassiterite's Interlude: Aftermath of losing a Sis

Somewhere in an underground cavern, her footsteps echoed down the long, dimly lit passageways of the place they called “home”. She certainly would have preferred a few more scatterings of bone heaps and roaring fires to properly call this home, but she supposed it was cozy enough. Plus it was well hidden. Deep, deep beneath the Earth’s surface. It served its purpose. Embedded all along the walls, thick clusters of a deep rich red crystal, Painite, gave off a subtle glow that bathed the hallways and subsequent rooms in an eerie crimson, casting dark shadows in all the corners.

Cassiterite Cockatrice smirked to herself as she turned a corner to her and her sister’s rooms. The sight of a dozen or so women lining the hallway greeted her, each of them frozen in various stages of shock, anger, and fear. Their hands were up-raised in a sad attempt to ward off the inevitable defeat from the evil sisters. Cockatrice’s smile wavered as she passed these fuku clad women, and she stopped at a random one. Turning to face the short haired stone girl, she reached out to touch a gemstone cluster that adorned the girl’s shoulder. Cockatrice remembered this fight well. It was their first battle against a Senshi of Justice.

Five years ago these skirted warriors had started appearing, less than a year after CC, BB and the rest of her Corrupt group had been formed. And it was just over three years ago when this girl faced them. The silly child had thought she was better than her, called her names and taunted her. Declared she would be punished in the name of Love or Justice or some such other nonsense these ridiculous girls always spouted. The girl had even dared call her a joke. It was where Cockatrice had taken the name from, The Jokers. She and her sister. Bastinite Basilisk. But the joke had been on the senshi that day when BB had snuck up behind her and the Joker sisters began fighting for real. CC had been baiting the girl, pulling her punches and letting her think she had been winning while BB got into position. It was their favourite tactic. She so loved the looks on their faces as they realized there was more than one of them. The senshi girl, what had she called herself? Something something Squirrel? It didn’t matter anymore. She was a lovely stone statue now along with a handful of her colleagues, thanks to BB. They had certainly not been ready for the dangerous duo.

A growl escaped her throat and she bared her fangs. She wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. Those BITCHES had taken her sister. Her precious Bastinite Basilisk. Her other half. She would make them pay. Cockatrice clenched her fists, willing back the tears of anger and frustration. She was alone now. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t get back at them. She just had to be more methodical. Plans began formulating in her mind of how she was going to get back at them all. Get revenge on those annoying Crystal Animamate girls. How she was going to take her sweet time hurting those stupid women who called themselves “The Trinity”. The pain she would inflict on the one who took her dear sweet sister. Oh yes, they would all pay.

Stalking down the hallway, she made another turn, heading towards a massive chamber where a set of three large thrones sat up on a dais against the far wall. Each was made out of a different combination of crystal and stone that crashed together in a menacing semblance of grandeur. The middle was by far the largest and most imposing with it’s spikes of glittering crimson and gold.

The heat of the room was stifling, and yet strangely still well ventilated enough to breathe comfortably. A huge moat of lava ran along the base of the walls of the room as streams of it poured through large vents at the tops of the walls in a continuous feed. Rivers of it disappeared through other gaps in the floor and walls to heat the rest of their lair. The room was lit with the same crystal as the rest of the cavern. Though in here, along with the clusters, there were giant spires of shining red Painite that pierced the floor and ceiling.

As expected, the three figures that Cockatrice sought were nestled into their thrones, deep in a hushed conversation. Her Leaders, ferocious and formidable warriors who had former lives and guises. CC knew very little about them, no-one really dared ask. They weren’t exactly the sip tea and gossip types. They were no nonsense, to the point and cunning. They craved power, chaos and obedience to them above all else, talking at great lengths about getting revenge on the Trinity and making them bow. The Triun, they called themselves. CC sometimes wondered just how old they were, where they came from, what their old lives used to be like. But the questions quickly vanished. She honestly didn’t care, when it came right down to it. Hell, she didn’t even remember her own previous life before awakening as Cassiterite Cockatrice, and she was just fine with that too. She loved her new life. She loved making her Queens happy with the destruction she caused. She didn’t want to disappoint them. And right now, she dreaded telling them what had happened to her sister, but it had to be done. Her masters had to know that their enemy had grown in ranks. Stepping up to the foot of the staircase, CC knelt as their conversation ended. Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

“My Queens, I bring you news.”

She waited a heartbeat before continuing, “The Trinity have even more senshi than we first thought. Their ranks seem to be growing almost daily. Our inside source, Imp, has informed us that they have begun training together. Both amid themselves and with their Leaders. She has endeared herself to several of the other senshi and thus far they don’t seem to suspect a thing. In fact they appear very eager to help her in her ‘desire to be better and stronger’. Imp has witnessed their powers growing as well. Each girl seems to be gaining in strength, some more rapidly than others. Not just the girls, but the Trinity themselves, though Imp doesn’t know their full capabilities as of yet. But they have grown formidable. The senshi are proving to be...annoying. And...” CC paused again, swallowing hard, “during our last battle, they...they took Bastinite Basilisk.”

A long silence stretched out and sweat beaded on CC’s forehead. She did not dare to lift her head though. What were they going to do with her, now that she was alone? Would she still be of use to them? She would certainly do everything she could to prove she was…

“Cassiterite Cockatrice…” The low, silky voice of the Leader filled the air, “You have done well thus far in your intel, we thank you. You, Basilisk and the Imp have shown great loyalty to us. It has not gone unnoticed, and you will be rewarded greatly. We are very sorry for the loss of your sister, rest assured, she will be avenged.”

Rising from her throne, the imposing woman stepped to the edge of her platform, the glow of the room bathing her triple headed cloak in a bloody red. Fangs glinted from beneath the lionhead-shaped hood as she shrugged her shoulders, the goat and dragon heads perched on either side of the lion swaying with the motion. Finally, she spoke again, “So, the Trinity are bolstering their ranks even more. Very well, we’ll just have to speed up the tests on the new recruits and push their ready date up....Tell the Imp I want to know how they are gaining these new powers. I want to know what it is that is granting them these abilities and just how far their reach is. I want to know about where they are, what else she has found out. I need to know their location….” The last sentence came out as a long angry growl, perhaps a little louder than she had intended. It was on the verge of becoming a full on snarl before she composed herself, voice slipping back to it’s deadly sweetness.

“As for you, dear Cockatrice, report to the Metamorphosis Chamber for your….reward…” The tall woman purred, and a cold shiver ran down CC’s back, “We will make sure you get your revenge. If they can upgrade powers...so can we.”