Tales of the Spiral Knights

by Theravadus

Even though the war with the Anti spirals is over, a new one is just beginning. However just as there's a new war there are new heroes to fight it. *Chapter 3 revised. Not sure if I'll finish it.

2. Spiral Resonance

Thanks for the review! It's time to start with part 2!

Tales of the Spiral Knights Part 2: Spiral Resonance

Ten years later…

Fifteen year old Shiro looked out that the vast expanse of desert surrounding his village. The hot sun beat down on him as the wind blew through his cloak trying to force his hood back. He held it over his head, covering him from the hot sun as he grasped a long spear with his other. He let out a long sigh as he watched the desert, looking for signs of danger.

His village was surrounded by a series of large massive land masses between which they set up the large tents that held most of the village when they were above ground. That was only when the monsters and metal men weren't around.

Years ago his village broke through to the surface, finding it full of food and life, but also with plenty of giant creatures ready to prey on them. Shiro and his parents were among the first.

At first they'd tried to fight the monsters and metal men. But the spears and rocks they'd thrown at them only scratched the monsters. The metal men were never hurt at all.

Shiro's father and mother died, hiding him from them.

Thankfully both types of creatures were large and easy to see from a distance. So whenever they weren't around the village moved to the surface to hunt for food and to experience the long denied sun.

"Run on the left side! He'll avoid the spears and move into the other group." Shiro looked into the pass between one of the nearby mesas to the group of hunters chasing a wild squirrelboar. The creatures tended to wander into the upper village since they'd started farming vegetables however the only problem was the squirrelboar were fast, and hunters needed to be equally fast to route them and hunt them.

Shiro sighed as he drank from the water skin hanging from his hip. As he did, a single drop of water traveled down his chin and landed on the drill key hanging around his neck. He smiled as he looked at it. Over the years the drill's dull grey color rubbed off revealing a golden hue hidden beneath. It was his prized possession, his memento from that day. It and the Face. He'd visit the Face after his watch.

As he resumed his watch, he narrowed his eyes at the distance. As he squinted he saw a person, walking towards the village wearing a black cloak. Had anyone gone out to scout today? He couldn't recall offhand.

After a few quick looks around he climbed down the sheer ridge from the mesa, walking over to the strange man in the cloak. He waved to the man's attention. The man waved back.

"Hey! Hey over there!" as Shiro got close to the stranger he soon realized the man wasn't a villager. He was too tall, too big and Shiro was the tallest in his village. Shiro had never met someone from outside his village; he'd never even believed anyone existed outside it.

"Hi!" said Shiro, smiling. He pulled his hood back revealing a messy cut of black hair, green eyes and a wiry smile.

"Hello there." Replied the stranger. He looked around, examining the village. "I didn't know people settled around here."

"Yeah," said Shiro, "I'm Shiro!" he offered his hand to the stranger. The cloaked man looked at him for a moment.

"You're very friendly to someone you've never met."

"Well, to be fair, I never met someone outside the village before." He looked skyward, scratching his chin. "then again, I don't think anyone from my village met anyone from outside the village so I think we're breaking new ground all round the board today."

The stranger chuckled, "Indeed. It is a pleasure to meet you Shiro." The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Umm… I don't suppose you have a name?" asked Shiro.

"Me? I'm nobody important, just a traveler." The stranger looked at Shiro's water skin. "May I have some water?"

Shiro nodded and handed the stranger his water skin. As he did, his cloak was pulled aside, revealing his drill key. The stranger stared at it before taking the skin.

"So…" Shiro hesitated, unsure of his next question, "Where are you from?"

"I'm from another village, far away from here, so to speak."

"So to speak?" asked Shiro scratching his head. The stranger chuckled, handing back the water skin.

"I'm sorry; I'm being very evasive aren't it?"

"A bit yeah." Shiro chuckled.

Suddenly, the hunters appeared around the rimrock in the distance. They had finally hunted down the squirrelboar and run it to the ground.

"Hmm, I'm surprised someone like you isn't helping them." Commented the stranger.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you look like a strong kid. Seems like a waste for you to just be a watchdog."

"Everyone in the village has an important role!" replied Shiro, defensively. "Besides, it doesn't matter how strong you are, if you aren't fast enough to catch up to them, it's no good." Shiro looked down, his smile falling.

"Speed isn't everything, sometimes strength is needed." Shiro looked up at the stranger. "Strength to fight, strength to protect. These things are important too. It's just a matter of having courage to use that strength." Shiro merely looked at the man in silence.

As Shiro stared at the man, a strong wind blew, raising a cloud of dust around them. The dust caused the stranger's hood to flap for a moment, revealing his eyes hidden beneath. They were spirals.

"Hey… what's with your…" as he spoke, dust flew into his eyes causing him to involuntarily blink and turn away. When he opened them the stranger was gone. Shiro looked around, trying to find the stranger.

"Strange guy? Where are you? YO! Strange guy!"

XXXX

Shiro sighed as he smelled the squirrelboar cooking on the open fire. The dark plumes of smoke drifted into the night sky as the fire crackled, hidden between the large mesas.

He heard someone climbing up to the rock behind him. He sat on the rocks waiting.

"Oi! Shiro!" an older boy pulled himself up onto the rock. He was small, but wiry, his blond hair wind tussled and dusty. He wore a small shirt and pants along with thick boots.

"Hey, Lucas." Lucas walked over to Shiro and handed him a large hunk of meat on a bone.

"Here, figured you might be hungry. I saw you up here earlier when we were running the hunt."

Shiro took it, "You did a great job leading the group today." He bit into the meat. "MMmmmm, good shtuff!"

Lucas chuckled and sat beside Shiro. "You're a funny guy Shiro you know that? Why don't you come down and join us? I'm sure we can get someone to take your place up here."

"Nah it's okay. I like being up here. It gives me time to think."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, "Think about what?"

"Stuff."

"Uh huh. You know, you could really help a lot in the village. I know you want to be one of the hunters but," Lucas paused momentarily, "isn't spending all of your time up here a bit of a waste?"

Shiro sighed as he continued chewing, "I suppose, it's just… I really want to help the village. I know farming and all that is valuable, but I want to do something important, something that matters." his smile returned, "Since I can't help the hunting at least I can protect the village by looking out for it." He looked out at the vast expanse of stars that covered the empty, dry desert.

"Hey Lucas?"

"Yeah Shiro?"

"You ever wonder what's out there besides the metal men and the monsters?"

"Oh sure, I think everyone does sometimes. I mean, if you think about it, we had to come from somewhere to here. It's not like we were just grown out of the rocks." He paused, "You think there are other people out there?"

Shiro gave Lucas a grin, "Definitely."

"Heh. I suppose you'd have that kind of outlook." He let out a yawn. Come on, let's get down from here. Even you need to sleep sometimes."

Shiro nodded, suppressing his own yawn as he followed Lucas.

XXXX

As the village slept, Shiro moved in the darkness. The fire was out and the night guards were looking out for any signs of attack. He was safe.

Smiling he moved into the shadow of one of the large rockridges. There, at the base he moved aside several large rocks that were piled, revealing a large hole. He looked around one last time and climbed in.

He'd found it only a few weeks after the night he found his drill key. It'd crashed into the top of the mesa from above but the resulting rubble sealed in the hole. He found this hole himself. After a few minutes of struggling and grunting he pulled himself into a small cave within the ground. There were many small passages for animals to crawl in but none big enough for a human, except for the one he found. He turned around and saw the Face.

It was probably one of the metal men though he'd never seen one that small before. It didn't have arms or legs; it was just a simple grey face surrounded in red metal. He walked up and rubbed some of the dust away from the closed eyes. At first he wanted to tell the other villagers but he was afraid they'd take it and maybe destroy it. He knew it was harmless though, the top revealed and exposed cockpit with an empty chair. He climbed into the cockpit of the Face as he usually did, settling into the seat and grabbing the two handles on either side.

He looked forward and began rubbing away at the strange smooth, shiny circle that rested at the front. In the center was a small hole. He pulled the drill key from his neck and inserted it in the hole.

He gave it a single twist.

And as always nothing happened.

He sighed as he slumped in his seat.

XXXX

Late in the afternoon of the next day, Shiro resumed his watch. He jammed his spear into the ground butt first and leaned his shoulder against it. One of the longest spears in the village, he'd found the metal pole for it, rather than travelling to the trees like everyone else. Everyone thought the pole was too heavy to use but it only took Shiro a few weeks to get used to the weight. Now he could handle it easily, though he had the shortest throw.

As he watched he noticed a black dot coming towards the village. He moved to the edge of the mesa. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before they widened in shock. He spun and jumped off the rock to the village below.

XXXX

"Are you certain it was a bearboar?" asked the village Elder.

Shiro nodded as he stood before the elderly man within his large tent. Surrounded by the leaders of the village the elder sat on a single firm carpet in the center. "Definitely. It was coming in this direction." Said Shiro.

The elder scratched his bald head before running his hand down his long beard. "We should try and move the villagers into the caves. It may smell the crops and come for them."

"But shouldn't we try and stop it?" asked Shiro.

"Shiro…" Lucas put his hand on Shiro's shoulder.

"I mean, it's just a bearboar! It's not like it's one of the monsters or metal men! We can hurt a bearboar if we…"

"Know your place boy!" Said one man. Shiro looked at him, Tsen, the man who spoke for the craftsmen of the village. He was a rail thin man with long nails and hallows in his cheeks that had frightening Shiro as a boy. "Do you know how difficult it is to kill one of those? It is easier to leave the food out for it and wait until it leaves."

"But if we do that, the bearboar might come back for food again! We should try and scare it off somehow!"

"Scare it off? Boy whenever a bearboar has met us in the village we always loose people! Do you not forget how Lucas's father, the former leader of the hunters, died?"

"My father didn't die so you could use his name to win your arguments Tsen." Said Lucas stepping forward. He gave Shiro a quick look, "And I agree with Shiro. If we leave the food the bearboar will definitely come back. We should, at least, hide it."

The elder looked over to the woman at his right, "Chani? Can it be done?" The woman looked up at Shiro and Lucas with her large brown eyes before turning to the elder. She wore thick brown robes that covered her from the shoulders down and her hands were thick and worn from years of soil work.

"The latest batch of crops hasn't matured enough to be harvested. We were short on seeds so we had to delay the rotation cycle in other fields. We cannot relocate any of the crops without losing them at this point."

"The squirrelboar season is winding down. If we lose all our crops now we may not be able to support the food supply." Said Lucas.

"Then we should definitely fight it!" Said Shiro.

"What do you propose then?" asked the Elder.

"Me?" Shiro was caught without an idea, he frantically thought for a solution, "The rocks! The hunters and the guards can go on top of the big rocks and throw our spears at the bearboar! If we hit it right, it might get scared and leave!" "Me?" Shiro was caught without an idea, he frantically thought for a solution, "The rocks! The hunters and the guards can go on top of the big rocks and throw our spears at the bearboar! If we hit it right, it might get scared and leave! If not… well it won't make much of a difference anyway."

The elder remained silent as he continued stroking his beard. After a moment he spoke, "An acceptable plan. Begin preparation immediately."

XXXX

"'Throw spears at it from on top of the rocks.' that's the best you came up with?" asked Lucas.

"It's not a bad plan is it?" asked Shiro. The two stood on top of one of the mesas watching as the last of the villagers moved into the underground caves. The Elder had left Lucas in charge of the plan as leader of the hunters, unwilling to supersede the older boy's judgment.

"No, I just think you could have found a cooler way to say it instead of your normal goofy style."

Shiro furrowed his brows at Lucas. The elder boy smiled at him.

"Here it comes!" Said one of the guards. The hunters and guards readied their spears as the bearboar neared the village. As it passed though the space between the two mesas the men readied their attack.

"Wait until it moves a bit further in, we want it to panic and be scared off." Said Lucas, speaking softly.

Tension filled the air as the men held their spears ready, they didn't waiver as the bearboar crept closer and closer into the passage. It was large, a huge creature with a broad back that ended in a neckless head with a long snout. Massive clawed paws padded along the ground supported by thick muscular limbs. This was all covered by coarse brown fur. The bearboar gave a quick snort as it looked around.

Then with a nod from Lucas they attacked. The first volley of spears struck into the bearboar's hide. It began to buck and roar as it turned about in the passage. As the second volley rained down on them it looked up at the men and roared in fury. Then it began to climb.

"Get ready to move!" yelled Lucas. "Grab the remaining spears and prepare to flank the bearboar from another ridge!"

Shiro looked down at the bearboar climbing up the side,

"Speed isn't everything, sometimes strength is needed." Shiro looked up at the stranger. "Strength to fight, strength to protect. These things are important too. It's just a matter of having courage to use that strength." Shiro merely looked at the man in silence.

At his chest, the drill key began to pulse with a firm green glow.

"Shiro! Come on!" yelled Lucas.

Shiro looked back at Lucas. The elder boy was met with a look of intense determination from his young friend. Then Shiro turned away.

Shiro gripped his metal spear in his hands and leapt from the ridge. He fell through the air, spear aimed at the bearboar. He could hear the cries of people at his back but they were downed out as he plunged the spear into the bearboar's neck. The creature roared as Shiro clutched the spear, his weight driving it into the bearboar. Soon the bearboar released its grip on the rock, Shiro let go of the spear and tumbled through the air. He landed on the ground feet first in a crouch. He rose and turned, facing the bearboar.

For a moment it stumbled, head pressing against the spear driven into its body. Then, after a few moments, it fell.

A silence passed in the chasm followed by a massive cheer from the men above. Shiro looked up, smiling at the men as they climbed down to congratulate him. As they did, the drill key at his neck grew dark and silent.

In the distance, the strange man looked back at the village. With a smile he turned and began walking back.

XXXX

That night the village celebrated over the feast of the bearboar. It'd been a massive task bringing the large animal back into the village. Eventually they had to cut and skin the meat before setting it on the fire to cook.

At the center was Shiro, being praised and cheered as his story was repeated around the campfire. He smiled with his usual easy grin, giving small commentary whenever his story was told and answering questions.

"Were you scared?"

"A bit."

"How did he look when you got him?"

"Angry."

"Where the heck did you get that crazy idea?"

"It just… came to me."

Between the barrage of questions Lucas sat down beside Shiro, waving people away.

"Come on! Let him eat for a bit!" he said with a smile. Eventually the crowd dispersed around Shiro and the two boys sat with their fellow spearmen.

"Thanks Lucas." He said taking a bite of his meat.

"Not a problem. I should thank you. I don't think the village has ever eaten so well." He nodded to the large slabs of bearboar roasting on the fire.

"It was nothing." Said Shiro.

"No it wasn't nothing." Said Lucas. "I saw that look in your eye when you went to jump. It was something I haven't seen it in a while."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't remember?" Shiro shook his head. Lucas sighed. "Five years ago, when my father died, he took a group of us outside the village remember?"

Shiro nodded, stiffening.

"That bearboar showed up and he told me to keep an eye on the group while he led the bearboar away right?"

"Yeah I remember. You led all of us kids back to the village safe."

"That's how you remember it?" asked Lucas.

"Yeah. Why?" Shiro looked at Lucas with a puzzled expression on his face.

"When everyone was scared and frightened Shiro, I didn't know what to do. I started to panic. Then you stood up and said 'We don't have anything to worry about. Lucas is the son of the greatest hunter in the village! We'll definitely be safe.' And then you turned and looked at me and you weren't scare at all. You were just so sure everything would work out. You had that look on your face."

"What look?" Lucas chuckled.

"That look that just seemed to say that no matter what happened you'd push through. It was really cool."

Shiro just stared at Lucas as he spoke, unsure what to think of what he said.

"Ever since then, whenever I wasn't sure about what to do I just think back to you at that time."

XXXX

The next morning found the villagers dazed as they gradually woke from the night's festivities. Shiro pulled himself to his feet as he rested on his spear for support. He yawned as the sun peaked through the ridges blinding him. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to focus on the surrounding area. Most of the villagers had slept outside their tents wrapped in blankets. The remains of the bearboar were still pierced on various skewers and spits. He looked up on top of the ridges.

Was anyone standing watch?

Suddenly a huge roar emerged from beyond the rock ridges. Shiro's eyes went wide as he felt a massive rumble hit the earth, followed by another.

Footsteps. A monster.

Lucas dived out of his tent frantically pulling his breeches on. He fastened them as he stood next to Shiro.

"Didn't anyone stand watch last night?" he asked.

"No one." Replied Shiro. "Is there any way we can move people below ground in time?"

Lucas simply looked at Shiro. The two turned to look at the other villagers who already were awake and trying to move as quickly as they could towards the caves at the rear.

"It's no good." Said Lucas. "Even if we move everyone in quietly enough he'll smell the meat."

"Could we distract him?"

"Shiro…"

"I'm serious! We have to stop it!"

"Stop it? Stop a monster? How?" Lucas looked at him with a look of disbelief.

"I don't know… but we have to!"

"Listen…" Lucas trailed off as he looked at Shiro.

"What? What is it?" asked Shiro.

"Shiro… that drill thing of yours. It's glowing."

"Huh?" Shiro grabbed the drill key and looked at it. Sure enough it pulsed with a green energy. It kept a steady rhythm as he looked at it.

"Hey Lucas, metal men are stronger then monsters right?"

"Yeah, why?" Shiro took off, dashing at full speed away from Lucas.

XXXX

Shiro frantically threw the rocks from the hole. He tossed them over his shoulder as he clawed through the pile trying to expose the opening. He scrambled through the hole and fell into the chasm, stumbling over his own feet as he ran to the Face and climbed into the cockpit. He pulled the drill key from around his neck and looked at it.

It still glowed in his hand as he held it. He hesitated as he looked at it, then down into the hole which now pulsed with its own green light, perfectly in synch with the one on his drill. He let out a deep breath and pressed the key into the slot.

Suddenly a flurry of green energy poured out from the metal man. The light radiated in the dark chamber, illuminating it causing Shiro to squint as he clutched the two handles. The metal face took off, busting into the rock and breaking out into the open sky.

Standing nearby on a rocky outcropping, the stranger stood watching.

"When a human being has a core drill and a ganmen it's only a matter of time before he activates it."

Shiro landed his metal face in the center of the village. People were still moving into the caves as the monster appeared between the rocks. He was huge, a massive lizard with a huge head and huge legs mounted on a wide body with a long tail. He pivoted and turned through the rocks with ease roaring though the passage causing it to resonate and echo down into the village.

Shiro squeezed the handles of his metal face as he narrowed his eyes.

"Once he does, using his ganmen depends entirely on instinct born from the spiral energy running through his body."

He pressed the handles forward, causing his metal face to launch forward at the monster. He jumped into the air and punched it in the face. The monster reeled from the blow.

"The energy resonates from his body to the core drill and into the ganmen, causing it to amplify."

The monster spun and swung its tail down onto Shiro. Immediately, a series of metal bands wove together creating a cover over the cockpit of the metal face just as the tail came down onto the metal face. Shiro felt a massive impact inside the machine but was otherwise unhurt. He raised the metal face's stubby arms and began to push.

"This is the first ability of all spiral beings, the foundation for all spiral powers: Spiral Resonance."

As Shiro struggled against the massive tail he looked down at the display. The drill sat at the center of what looked like an empty spiral. It remained, pointing vertically, unturned within its slot. He reached out and turned the key causing the empty spiral to fill with white marks. Suddenly a drill emerged from the head of his Metal Face. As he pushed the handles forward the hands of his Metal Face also turned into drills causing them to cut into the monster's thick hide. He punched through the tail of the monster, launching into the air.

He floated for a moment before squeezing the handles tightly. As he faced the monster it turned and roared at him.

He roared back. With a mighty cry he launched forward, drills pointed at his enemy, punching through flesh and metal.

He landed on the ground as the monster fell to the ground behind him, a bloody hole in its torso revealing machinery inside.

XXXX

Wow this ended up being twice as long as I expected it too. Hope you folks enjoyed it. Please note that while I'm fully aware a few things that occurred in this chapter were physically impossible, the source material demands nothing less.