Silver and The Transcontinental Railroad Chapters 1-6

Silver and The Transcontinental Railroad written by Sean Douglas Harm. The Silver series and all Silver series characters within are created by Sean Douglas Harm.

©Silver 2024

- In memory of my pops

"Even in this world more things exist without our knowledge than with it and the order in creation which you see, is that what you have put there like a string in a maze so that you shall not lose your way."

- Blood Meridian

1877 Northern Arizona territory.

Three men are walking deep within a wooded area of rural Arizona territory near an outlet into a ravine between two large mountainous plateaus with a distinctive reddish hue. Armed with pistols, rifles, tools, and large burlap sacks, the three men are walking down a small trail apart from where they stationed their horses and wagon with a trusted companion named Whiskey Tim who will oversee the stationed equipment and animals. The leader of the gang is a man called Silver who is named this because of his uncanny ability to always have or find the elemental metal silver and not to mention his shining silver tooth that is part of his trademark smile. With a shining silver tooth smile on his face, Silver explains to the men, “My silver mine is getting close boys so keep an eye out for any potential prospectors, bandits, any hostile Apache and stay alert for any mountain lions and venomous snakes and lizards in this unexplored wilderness.”

Showing extreme caution and slight fear, the men approach an old abandoned campsite that looks to be ransacked and destroyed. Upon further investigation, it looks like there had been a party of travelers who may have discovered the abandoned silver mine but their camp had been raided, possibly by the local hostile Apache tribes, but the party might have been kidnapped or worse. The Apache are a fearsome and hostile indigenous warrior tribe constantly at war with the U.S. Cavalry at the time. The Apache were driven out of their native homeland in Texas by the even more hostile and ruthless Comanche.

The Comanche were the most feared and hostile indigenous peoples on the whole wild frontier of the expanding United States territories. The Comanche war parties would go on raids during full moons called “Comanche Moons” where the Comanche warriors would steal livestock and horses from the settled townspeople while murdering, kidnapping, torturing, and enslaving the inhabitants of the new towns being built by people who were settling in the territory. The Comanche became master horseman after they migrated to the Texas territory and adapted the horses brought to the Americas by Spanish conquistadors in the 17th century. They were in a consistent battle with the well-known Texas Rangers hired by the provisional government to protect the settlers who were then encroaching on Comanche land. It was believed that the Comanche were under the idea that they gained supernatural powers from what they called “Pu-Ha Medicine Power.” This so-called “Pu-Ha” would lead the Comanche and Apache warriors to believe they were impervious to bullets and western weapons while gaining mystical strength and powers because of their so-called belief in Pu-Ha medicine power and their magic rituals.

Investigating the campsite the men notice large footprints of a bipedal animal with an estimated foot length of 18 to 20 inches. “What are those? Bear prints? They must have been attacked by bears!” Explained one of the men. Looking closely at the footprints it appears to be that more than one creature was ransacking through the camp causing the destruction. “No bear can walk on two legs like that, right?" Replied Silver.

They find the body of a man deceased, huddled over by a tree in a position that looks like his back had been broken by an extreme bear hug. “His back is broken!” One of the men yelled. Silver looks cautiously around and tells the men to gather what equipment they can loot and keep moving. The men scavenge for what remnants they could find in the aftermath of this apparent raided camp but realize most of the valuables oddly have not been taken. Later they come across what looks like a large burrow that's made from vegetation and fallen trees that resembles a nest for a very large animal. Cautiously they move on being led by the encouragement of Silver's words and soon enough they reach their destination, The abandoned silver mine.

Danger and Do Not Enter signs litter the entrance to a mountain cave with closed off wooden gates decayed by time. Sitting in between the ravine of two mountainous plateaus is the entrance to the abandoned silver mine. Summing up their bravery the men entered with their guns drawn and lantern's lit. As they further into the mine, one of the members of the gang by the name of Charlie begins to argue with Silver about the danger that he has gotten them into without fully explaining the details. “Well then you can get back to robbing banks and wagons Charlie, because there's plenty of danger in that.” Yelled Silver.

As the men walk further down a dark corridor of the mine towards where Silver last remembers his previous visit. Silver explains he needs the men to help him remove debris from a dynamite explosion and to help excavate pure silver while carrying the stash out of the mine. Silver didn't give the men the full details of the expedition and he even went as far as blindfolding all of the men while they rode inside the stagecoach mud-wagon traveling from the Colorado River on an old abandoned trail until they reached the outside of the secret location. All so that they would not know the way to Silver’s abandoned mine. They did all this with the promise that Silver would pay them large amounts of silver bullion as payment for their help, as he has done in previous expeditions.

Silver starts to explain to the men the full details of the mission. He explains that the last time he was here excavating silver ore, he had bled the main silver vein dry and needed to find another source for silver deeper and further in the crevices of the abandoned and unexplored caves within the silver mine. He told them that he trenched through the deep crevices and narrow passageways into uncharted areas of the mine deep within the mountain cave and spotted a shining reflection of light emitting from a crack in the walls reflecting from the light of his lantern, catching his eye. “Only pure silver could have such reflective properties against light like that, more than any other precious metal, and for sure that signifies a vein of natural silver ore. It’s normally a specific type of silver ore found here that causes a natural spiraling wire-like formation called wire silver but looking closely at the shining reflection, I could tell it was from a metallic deposit of pure native silver bullion already naturally formed like it's been smelted pure, a rare find in this area but it has been discovered before in a natural native state like that. It's a prospect that could reap vast amounts of wealth.” Said Silver.

“With no actual way to reach the shining reflection through the crevices past rocky slag and shale of the underground mountainous caves from which the mine was dug from, I removed my explosive dynamite sticks from my satchel and chiseled holes deep into the walls of the caves and there I placed the sticks of explosives so that I might blow the walls up and retrieve any recovered silver. I knew that a loud explosion might draw the attention of other prospectors who might be in the area looking for gold and silver mines to seek riches from, so I had to act quick if any new silver was to be retrieved. I spooled out a long detonation cord that gave me a few minutes to escape into an area that was safe and I lit the cord and ran.” Said Silver

A loud thunderous boom sounds off subtly vibrating all the trees on the top of the mountainous plateaus scattering the birds into the air as they fly high past the top of the two mountains and through an overpass that goes down hundreds of yards extending into canyons miles wide that stretch as far as the eye can see, like a giant flood washed through the land from ancient times. A scene of the sacred land known as the Grand Canyon. “The explosion was loud and shook the mountain and walls like no other and having experience in detonation and mining from previous expeditions, I knew that I may have over embellished with the dynamite and there was a good chance the mountain caved in where there were only narrow passageways. As I tried to make my way back to where I saw that shining bright reflection of which I could only be certain was the purest deposit of that blessed metallic silver, my suspicion was right and I saw that a large portion of the wall had fallen down completely blocking the part of the cave that I had to reach.” Silver explained.

“Piles of large stone and rubble now lay in front of the entrance way, specifically two large stones that would take the strength of at least two to three men to move. I knew that by myself I didn't have the strength to move these massive boulders and I would need the help of trusted men from whom I would have to share this find with. It was then I decided to confide in you all my trusted.”…"Hold Up!" Charlie interrupts Silver with an annoyed and skeptical tone. "You aren't confiding shit! You blindfolded us and are just telling us this now while promising us, no guaranteeing us silver ready to be harvested and you just needed help moving it. I see no silver, Silver, and only danger." Charlie replied with a sass-like remark from having experience of being fooled by Silver’s schemes and plots. 

Charlie and Silver have been traveling together for quite some time. They first met by chance of fate while taking the Union Pacific railroad line traveling from New York City to Sacramento, California. They both left their homes in pursuit of finding fortune like thousands of others during and after the historic California Gold Rush. Many prospectors would find fortune in gold and silver by setting up mines across the United States territories for ore extraction and smelting. The discovery of silver on the other side of the Sierras in Nevada brought an end to the California Gold Rush and a rush towards silver. It wouldn't be till they met again by chance that they would form a trusted friendship while on an expedition to the Grand Canyon to find uncharted land with hopes to stumble upon vast amounts of rare silver deposits.

They both heard about the vast amounts of open land and huge canyons from famous expeditions by brave explorers going up the Colorado River and publishing they're findings for newspapers across the United States. A one-armed Civil War veteran named John Wesley Powell and nine companions steered wooden boats for 1,000 miles on the Colorado River and through the canyon. Charlie and Silver both had the idea that these uncharted lands would most certainly provide a wealthy yield and could set them good for life.

Charlie and Silver left California and both took the Southern Pacific railroad into Arizona territory and by chance they happened to meet each other again with the same goals in mind yet again, coincidentally taking the same train at the same time; the 3:33 to Yuma, Arizona. There, they formed The Silver Gang to secure their protection while they searched for gold and silver prospects. The Colorado River that runs along the town of Yuma would be their ticket towards the Grand Canyon and there they indeed set their mind for adventure in the historic American Wild West.

The Union Pacific Railroad, which subsequently joined with the Central Pacific in Utah, signaled the linking of the continent by the transcontinental railroad and gave average city people like Charlie and Silver the ability to pioneer the vast outdoors of the Wild West by simply buying a few tickets and patiently waiting while enjoying the view. Many people would head west with hopes of finding promising land to settle with prospects of fortune and fame. With the new expansion of the Pacific Railroad into Arizona territory, Silver and Charlie both had it in their idea to catch the next train to Yuma. 

The third wheel following not far behind the two is a rugged outdoors-man named Jebediah. Jebediah was a well-known mountain man who had a reputation of being able to survive in any of the harshest conditions for the longest periods of time. A true and hardened mountain man like the legendary Daniel Boon, Kit Carson, Hugh Glass, Jim Bridger and other well known frontiersman pioneers. Without the knowledge, experience, and true grit of men like Jebediah, Silver and Charlie wouldn't stand a fair chance against the harsh elements and dangerous environments of the Old West. Silver was known for hiring these types of men for his expeditions as well as experienced Hopi and Navajo animal trackers by paying them in pure silver bullion.

“Now I ain't going to tell you again Charlie! I’ve been pulling silver from this mine for quite some time and I saw that pure silver bullion shining with my own eyes. I know what my eyes saw and I wouldn't be wasting our time now.” Explains Silver. “Then tell us how you found this mine then and how long you have been pulling silver from here, Silver?” Charlie asks in response. 

“It was about 3 months ago when I discovered this abandoned mine. Now that I think about it, I remember later that night, I was celebrating with some whiskey and buying a few fellas some shots while looking up at a full moon shining like a silver coin giving it a toast. Earlier that day, I had just spent my last coin on a bad hand of poker at The Travelers Tavern Hotel. I was ready to head back home from another failed attempt at finding this lost abandoned silver mine that I kept hearing about from the locals. All my money and silver had been spent on bad hands and whiskey. I only had enough to reassure myself a safeway back home had I needed it. The locals spoke of a silver mine that was abandoned because of a tunnel collapse with silver ore ready to be processed and smelted into silver bullion. There were a few workers who died in the collapse and the place was now supposedly haunted. On my last day there, I decided to go for one last expedition into the wilderness to look for it before I headed back and that's when luck would find me.” Silver explains.

“I heard the story from the animal tracker I hire on my deer hunts. The massive undefeated Hopi warrior and medicine man named Iron Mountain. He said that the mine is haunted and that local tribes are afraid to venture near it because of the missing people rumored to have wandered too close to the dilapidated ruins and never return. He said his tribal elder shaman tells stories of an entrance to the underworld that is directly linked to that abandoned silver mine located within the mountain and that creatures from another world inhabit its inner dwelling. According to Hopi legend, the Grand Canyon is the location of a portal between the underworld and the corporeal world where mankind supposedly emerged on Earth that they call “Sipapu.” Iron Mountain then told me that his elder shaman stated that many years ago, a magic sorcerer sealed the entrance to the underworld so that the abominable creatures that dwell within cannot breach into the mortal world of the living.”

“Hogwash!” Shouts Jebediah. “Well that's what I heard anyways!” Says Silver. “Stop lying Silver! Tell me you're lying because if you're for real, that means you brought us into a damn haunted mine trying to get me killed!” Charlie shouts. “Now look!” Silver responds with a shining silver tooth smile. “These are only rumors I heard, you and I know well there ain't no damn ghosts in here Charlie, and Iron Mountain is on the Hopi Hoo-Ha. He led me the closest he could to where he knew this place was before he got spooked and when I ventured on my own, I followed a cawing black crow flying around in the sky. Thinking that as a sign, I followed until it landed on that very Do Not Enter sign you saw out front. I've been pulling silver from here for quite some time, a few months now, ain't nothing to worry about. Let's just get this silver and get up out of here boys.” Says Silver.

A few moments later they reach a dead end of rocks and debris from the inner walls of the mountain. Silver leads them over to the far right corner with his lantern where it looks as if there may be an entrance way with two large stones, one on top of the other, blocking the way. “Here it is! If two of us climb up and position ourselves on each side of the wall and then push with our legs on the top rock, we can for sure push it down and then the three of us can shimmy the two large stones out of the way. Then, we can remove the larger rocks by hand and the shale and dirt with our pickaxes and shovels until we reach the silver that I saw shining.” Silver excitedly explains. With instructions simple enough the men comply with caution. Silver and Charlie both climbed on the first stone, used the sides of the cave wall for leverage, and pushed the larger stone off with their legs while Jebediah guided it safely to the ground. The three men then shimmied the stone step by step, out of the way and did the same thing with the boulder that originally sat underneath it.

Having freed the way from the two large stones that were blocking the main passage, the men proceeded to chip away at loose stone and dirt and shovel it out of the way until they came to a hard metal shining silver surface. “There it is!” Said Silver. “Well I'll be damned!” Jebediah remarked. “You weren't kidding!” Charlie said while squinting and looking closer. Charlie notices inscriptions and what looks to be pictographs inscribed on the shining metal surface. “What is that?” Said Charlie. Brushing away some of the loose dirt and stone, Silver then notices the pictographs and replies with a question like statement, “Egyptian pictures?” “You mean hieroglyphics!” Replied Charlie. 

Charlie, an African American man having an interest in historical and theological studies since a child, grew up in Brooklyn, New York with a fascination in history and mythology. An avid reader, it has always been a dream of Charlie's to one day become a scholar and teacher but he was forced to submit to a hard laborious life working at a dead end warehouse job that barely made ends meet. He took the Transcontinental Railroad out west in hopes to strike it rich and live his American dream, but got caught up in the vices of the Old West along with the thousands of others who sought potential prospect of a new life but had gone astray by the temptations of a lawless land only ruled by the law of the gun. Hearing about the end of segregated schools in Brooklyn drawing nearer, Charlie still has his hopes and dreams of returning to New York City one day to establish a learning center and become a teacher for all people.

“That's impossible! Ain't no way Egyptian hieroglyphics can be here in Arizona territory, Silver. Egypt is thousands of miles away. It's got to be a hoax. Maybe to scare people from coming into this mine.” Charlie explained. “Probably the old prospectors set up some kind of religious shrine to keep them ghosts away!" Jebediah interrupted. "I've seen plenty a prospectors set up religious shrines and landmarks so that the men working in the mine can pray to their makers. This way, they can have a safe passage in and out of the mine when working.”

The men continue to brush away the dirt and stone to expose as much as they can of the shining metal completely pure silver they have just discovered. As they expose more of the pure silver, they realize it forms a seal-like image into the ground from the wall. The pure silver metal is forged directly into the stone of the inner mountain. Completely exposed, it forms a 6-pointed star inside a circle of shining completely pure silver that blends into the rest of the rocky mountain of impure silver ore veins mixed with earthen dirt and other minerals of the inner mountain. The pure silver star-like seal inside this mountain is in perfect geometric hexagonal formation as it had been smelted that way by extreme heat in some kind of massive forge. A shining silver star in a perfect pattern with what looks like incantations and charms engraved in the center of this sacred geometric shrine.

Directly in the center of the large silver star seal, are hieroglyphic-like pictograph symbols of circles, crescent moons, and a winged serpent that look as indecipherable writings. Images and symbols that can only be intimidating to men who had not seen anything quite like what they were looking at. The men stare awkwardly silent while gazing at the unusual sight, unable to comprehend what they are seeing. Suddenly out of the unbreakable silence, Silver cheerfully says “Well… Let's get to work!” As he starts to dig in his satchel for what is most likely dynamite.

“Get to work!?” Charlie shouts. “Silver, this isn't a natural formation. This is an artifact! An artifact that could possibly be worth more than the silver that it's made from. Imagine if this is really hieroglyphics or something else, what does that mean about our history? This, this looks real. It looks like the Seal of Solomon. We should take a closer.” Before Charlie can finish his sentence he's interrupted by the sound of Silver’s hammer smacking against the backend of a chisel, driving holes around the perimeter of the silver star circle formation. “Silver, think what you're doing! You could be ruining a sacred artifact that could be worth thousands of dollars, if not priceless!” Charlie yells. “I ain't come all this way for nothing just to waste my time on a hoax or some superstitious shrine. We is here now and we see our silver. Let's get it and go boys!” Silver shouts. “Jebediah what do you think?” He asks.

Charlie and Silver have been under the leadership of men like Jebediah and know that their word is law when it comes to surviving the rugged outdoors of the Wild West. Inexperienced and indecisive decision making could mean life or death out in the vast unexplored wilderness of unsympathetic nature. Charlie and Silver would oftentimes be at the mercy of the mountain men and animal trackers they would hire, knowing their survival experience is a priceless commodity to have for the inexperienced men that they were. Men like Jebediah were becoming harder to find due to the ever-changing ways of the American Industrial Revolution and the forefront of technology becoming our benefactor for progression in humanity.

“I think we should blow it up!” Said Jebediah followed by a joyful chuckle. “Ain't nothing but some kind of Hoo-Ha shrine for the local tribes that was working in this mine for the prospectors. Let's do what we came here to do fellas, ain't no turning back now because “schoolboy” here wants to write a book.”

The men each start to chisel small holes around the outer perimeter of the pure metal silver star in hopes that the dynamite blast can dislodge any of the pure silver out of the mountain along with any other silver ore that can be recovered. The men complete their task and have dynamite burrowed into chiseled out holes around the pure silver seal. With the recent invention of dynamite in 1867 as a new stabilized form of a nitroglycerin explosive, change in the ways mining operations worked for thousands of years was taking place along with weapons technology that was an ever so expanding change to warfare.

Silver carries a Colt Walker Revolver, a .44 caliber revolving six shot hand cannon with an 8 inch barrel that was a issued weapon to The Texas Rangers, The U.S. Cavalry, and was the primary handgun used by Union troops during the Civil War because of its reliability at the time. With the invention of the Colt Patterson Revolver and the later Colt Walker Revolver, one could for the first time shoot multiple bullets from a gun without reloading. This was a huge advantage for the Texas Rangers against the Comanche Warriors who could fire multiple arrows in the time it took to reload a single-shot pistol or rifle. The Revolver became a revolutionary mechanism that would help spark the American Industrial Revolution and speed the settlement progression of the Old West. 

Setting dynamite sticks into three corners like a triangle around the pure metal silver, the men begin to spool the detonation cords to give them a few moments time to get coverage and devise a quick plan on how to extract the silver ore back into the stationed mud-wagon with Whiskey Tim. Some of the old conveyors, levers, and pulley systems still worked as well as the minecarts and railways that led through the silver mine. There were a few corridors that were closed off and some that led to dead ends and small crevice passageways like the one Silver found. “We just carry what we can to the mining carts and then use the pulley system. After that, we can load what we can in our bags and carry them back to the wagon to Whiskey Tim.” Silver explained.

The men get to a safe distance after lighting the cord and they wait for the boom. Silver looks at the men and says “Get ready fellas! Any second now we gon be rich!” Suddenly three distinct explosions boom, one after the other sounding off throughout the area. On the third boom, a distinct louder reverberating echo sound pressurel blasted out a percussive sound wave that was felt deeper than the first two explosions. This third explosive boom had a distinct vibratory shockwave that traveled throughout the air with a distinct blue flash of light that came with it, trickling through the air in an effervescent flowing wave of energy particles that was instantaneous. Waves of blueish particle essence dissolving like smoke particles dissipate into the thin air and become invisible molecules of matter, naked to the human eye, but still all around us.

These material particles of matter and mass called Atoms, occupy physical space and have inertia. Idle energy waiting to be set forth in motion by cause and effect. Atoms are made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons and since the electrons are in constant motion, they cause atomic vibration and stored energy inertia. Even at absolute zero temperature, the electrons keep moving and hence an atom vibrates always. When a molecule is heated, its kinetic energy increases, which causes the atoms to vibrate faster and the frequency of vibration to increase. The faster the atoms vibrate, the more friction and heat can be generated and hence the greater motion of force can be set forth if the inertia of the atom is moved by a mover or put forth in motion by the action of cause and effect. These atoms constitute the structure of our material universe and act as invisible binding agents culminating into a visual artscape that we see like a beautiful painting, but are blind to the actual canvas that holds the paint. All matter comes from this primary substance, a substance known as the luminiferous ether.

As soon as the blue flash shockwaves throughout a large area, the eyes open of a man of east Asian descent with completely gray and silver eyes. Just as the blue particles dissipated into molecules of air with the shockwave, the same went about the iris in each one of his eyes. Blue pigments scatter about in his eyes flashing into a gray color that appears almost silver in hue. A man with a shaved head dawning wooden beaded mala necklaces adorned with charms and silver talismans. The man is wrapped in monk robes, linen garments bright in orange color that shine like fire in the heat of the sun. He is sitting in a cross legged lotus meditative posture but having his meditation disturbed, he stares off into the distance of a great valley of gorges that extends miles long through the great Grand Canyon as a crow flies above his head over the deep ravines.

The monk is sitting in isolated meditation on top of a mountain plateau overlooking the deep valley of the Grand Canyon at an overlook known as Hopi Point. The indigenous Hopi tribes have lived in the Grand Canyon area for thousands of years and were once known as the Pueblos. At 7,000 feet above sea level, Hopi Point provides a clear view of the canyon, including the Colorado River and the colorful rock formations that make up the canyon's walls. With the monk's meditation disturbed, a look of seriousness overcomes his calmly peaceful demeanor as he breaks his concentration and stands up abruptly.

“What was that?” Said Silver. “The sound of prospect.” Giggled Jebediah. “No, that blue light that flashed. What was that?” Silver asks. “I ain't seen nothing. I just heard the explosion that was it. You sure you saw something?” Said Charlie. “Yeah Charlie! It was a blue flashing light just as you see lightning but different.” Said Silver. “You might have been around one too many dynamite explosions. It might be something wrong with you, I ain't seen no blue flashing lights.” Said Charlie. “I've seen many people go into a nervous like shock from being around too many explosions, you might need to hold up from exploding so much dynamite Silver.” The experienced mountain man Jebediah explained. Silver moves around and pats himself while checking his vitals and coordination to see if he's okay. “I feel all right, I don't know what in the hell that was. Let's just get this silver and get the hell out of here!” Silver remarks while looking confused.

After the dust settles the men give it some time and then re-enter the mine in hopes to retrieve their harvest. Further down the depths of the mine the men follow Silver’s lantern drawing nearer to their destination. Then, complete silence fell upon the mine as if total reverberation was phasing itself out of existence. To the men, it felt like a vacuum was sucking sound pressure level out of the mine. An intuitive feeling surges about Silver causing him extreme discomfort and fear. The fear courses through his veins and looking over to his left, he sees his friend Charlie with a terrified look on his face.  

Suddenly he hears a blood curdling and guttural roar. The men immediately stop in their tracks. “What was that!” Charlie shouts. “Whatever it is, should be afraid of my six shooter!” Says Silver as he looks over at Charlie, only to see that Charlie is gone and now only Jebediah stands next to him. Silver then hears footsteps coming closer as he stares slowly into the darkness and starts to back away. Then out of the shadows of the darkness emerges a prehistoric looking creature that brought primal fear upon the men who caught sight of it. Scaly and greenish in color, the creature looks as a large bipedal serpent but with the body characteristics of a human with massive muscular arms and a tall 7’ frame, completely naked in nature.

No words or startled screams of any kind were emitted from the men who stood frozen in fear unable to move at the unspeakable site that they were bearing witness too. It was at the next moment when the creature came within striking distance of Silver, that he snapped out of his paralysis of frozen fear and was able to draw and start unloading his six shooter directly into the creature, striking it in the face and in the body. Before Silver could unload the sixth bullet, he was struck by the creature with a powerful swipe across his body with such force that it slammed him back into a cave wall like he was thrown off of a bucking horse. Surprisingly, the bullets had no effect on the reptilian creature and just as Jebediah tries to react by shooting it with his rifle, he is grabbed by his neck and utters a horrific scream while the creature begins to tear open his jugular vein by biting and drinking his blood all at the same time, tearing his head from his body. Silver, fearing his time has come and completely bewildered, tries to get up to run to the exit of the mine. As soon as he gets up, the creature approaches him but notices the sound of a match lighting and the crackle of detonation cord. Silver has quickly lit one of his dynamite sticks and rolled it in the direction of the approaching creature while turning to run. The explosion was immediate. There was an extreme amount of smoke and dust that filled the air and the blast caved in large parts of the tunnel where the creature was standing. Unable to see or breathe properly, Silver laid low and kept for the exit while running like he's never had before out of extreme adrenaline and fear.

Upon reaching the exit, he stumbles down and runs disoriented trying to make his way back on the trail towards the stationed horses and wagon. He reloads a new cylinder into his revolver and inspects his wounds. His right arm is badly injured, with huge claw marks slashed across his arm and chest. Massive amounts of blood loss is causing him to become dehydrated and disoriented. He continues to run non-stop as his life depended on it, surpassing further than what normal capabilities of man can do based on the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He ran so much and so fast that the adrenaline and fear led his body into a state of exhaustion and by the time he reached the wagon, he realized everything was gone and Whiskey Tim had fled most likely with Charlie.

“You son of a b**** Charlie!” Silver yells. Knowing how dangerous the situation is being alone in the Arizona wilderness without a proper frontiersman or pioneer to navigate the lands and find watering holes, Silver begins to panic and soon enough thirst sets in and exhaustion overtakes his already panicked composure. Looking around and seeing no danger in sight and not understanding what has happened, Silver only knows to continue to move away from what just took place. He decides to move towards what he could only assume is the way back to the Colorado River. It would only be a matter of time before poor Silver, completely exhausted and dehydrated from blood loss, would find a safe spot under a few Joshua trees and commit to his exhaustion to seek rest and possibly even death.

A full moon lights the sky during a dark and stormy night. Lightning is seen flashing above a monastery on the steep mountains of Tibet. Inside the monastery, monks are seen chanting in a circle with a man in the middle of the monks who looks to be ill. The sick man starts screaming as the monks chant louder, ring bells, and hold sacred ritualistic artifacts. Flailing around, it becomes obvious that the man is seemingly possessed and the monks are performing the rights of an exorcism.

To no avail, the chanting monks realize that this is a powerful demonic spirit and that their chanting does not seem to have an effect on exercising the negative entity possessing the man. An elder monk is seen sitting in a cross legged lotus position underneath a golden Buddha statue at the far east of the temple chanting mantras while doing japa meditation rituals on his mala beads. The possessed man's eyes turn completely black as he realizes that the monks are doing a ritual of exorcism trying to capture the malevolent spirit inhabiting his body. 

Outraged, the evil spirit lets out a demonic scream and immediately lunges at one of the monks sitting in the circle that is chanting and starts attacking him, biting at his neck. The surrounding monks break their concentration and start to panic. The possessed man has inhuman strength and starts fighting with the monks, overpowering them. As the elder monk becomes aware of the exorcism gone wrong, he breaks his meditation and grabs a golden bowl with decorative artisan design carvings and Sanskrit writing on it. The elder monk proceeds to rush over to the possessed man and starts fighting with him in an effort to subdue the demonic outburst. The monk is the lead Abbott of the monastery and he is the exorcist incharge that has been trained in the rights of demon exorcism as a Vajrayana Buddhist Lama. He also has master expertise in martial arts skill but the possessed man has a superhuman strength that is otherworldly and this is tremendous power that the elder monk cannot handle.

Knowing he will be beaten by this incredible otherworldly demonic strength, the elder monk takes the bowl in his hand while extending it forward and performing a cleansing ritual while chanting a mantra to contain the evil spirit in this golden bowl as a contained spirit vessel. The ritual seems to be working as an illuminated red energy essence comes out of the possessed man and starts to be pulled into the golden bowl. Sensing that it will be captured in this golden bowl, the evil spirit summons a massive amount of ethereal atomic energy matter and with a loud shout, sends an explosive burst of a powerful red illuminated energy wave that knocks the elder monk back several yards into a wall where he collapses.

Turning his concentration on the panicking monks, the possessed man continues to fight and overpower the monks that were in this ritual of exorcism. The elder monk recovers himself, gains his composure, and immediately runs to the far eastern corner of the temple where there is a chest containing a sacred artifact. The elder monk opens the chest and inside is a sacred ritualistic silver dagger with a vajra design known as a “phurba.” The ritualistic use of the phurba encompasses exorcism, killing demons, meditation, consecrations, curing diseases, and weather-making. The blade of the phurba is used for the destruction of demonic powers and the top end vajra of the phurba is used for divine blessings.

The phurba is known as the spirit dagger to the monks and is made of pure silver. This weapon is known throughout the ages to be able to penetrate any living being's vital energy essence, thus detaching the spirit from its physical body and sending it on its transmigratory path through the other realms of rebirth. The spirit realm, which is connected to our worldly realm by ether, contains the souls of hungry ghosts and vengeful spirits who do not take the path of transmigratory reincarnation to higher or lower planes of existence. This weapon has been used for centuries as a tool to exercise those spirits who enter our realm against transmigratory law. Some of these spirits linger to this realm if they have not been properly buried or have died in a tragic way, thus the vengeful spirit seeks to justify the wrong action that led to their death. If used properly, the pure silver spirit dagger can be a weapon to vanquish demons and evil vengeful spirits when no other weapon can because of its ability to connect with ethereal life force by transitioning its mass into the shadow realm of spirits.

Grabbing the dagger, the elder monk charges at the possessed man with great speed and plunges the dagger into the man's back. Immediately the evil spirit can be seen leaving the man with a red hue to make its way in transmigration according to its karma and sin by being pulled into the lower realms while the spirit of the innocent man can be seen leaving the body with a bluish indigo color entering the higher. The lifeless body of a once living man collapses to the ground as the remaining monks gather their composure and surround the collapsed lifeless body to perform the proper rituals to see that this entity will never return to this realm and give proper funerary rights to the deceased man.

The elder monk then explains to his disciples the importance of the spirit dagger and how it is connected to the spirit or ethereal realm. He explains that using the spirit dagger would be the last action a priest must take during an exorcism because not only does it destroy the entity inhabiting a human host, it can also destroy the human spirit as well. He further explains only the purest elemental metal silver possesses the power to connect with ethereal spirit energy thus allowing the penetration of one's life force to be cut from the silver cord in which it hangs. The life thread of the antahkarana.

In the late 19th century, The United States was continuously expanding into the Western territory. By connecting the existing Eastern U.S. rail networks to the west coast, the Transcontinental Railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad") became the first continuous railroad line across the United States. The Transcontinental Railroad expanded the country further west and gave opportunity to many people who wanted to find fortune in the vast economic resources available in the new western territories.

The Industrial Revolution was sweeping across America at a rate so fast, it was like going to sleep in one country and waking up in another. Many of the upper class elites throughout the world were securing their empires by financing new ideas and technologies coming forth in this revolution, buying stock in new railroads with their silver and gold reserves.

Since railroads were a new invention, there was still doubt in whether or not it would be a profitable investment and large amounts of stocks were sold off. When European companies started selling their railroad bonds, there were soon more bonds for sale than anyone wanted and companies that borrowed money for the bonds would soon go out of business.

This caused a stock market crash in Europe and what is known as The Long Depression of 1873 in America after investors began to sell off the investments they had in American railroads. At the same time in America, The Coinage Act of 1873 removed silver from the market and anyone who owned large amounts of silver could no longer turn that silver into coin but only sell it for its value to pivot the country toward the gold standard and away from silver. The U S. Mint would decide which coins could be legal tender from that point forward so that less silver would be in circulation as currency and more would be left in the federal reserve. After the act, wealthy American entrepreneurs would have the ability to finance railroads, which in return would eventually take the country out of a depression and pioneer it into becoming the leading industrial power of the world.

While a gold and silver rush was sweeping the United States, the new Transcontinental Railroad was bringing many settlers from all across the United States out west in search of a new life with prospects of fortune. With dreams of having a better life, thousands of Chinese traveled across the Pacific Ocean to join in the California Gold Rush. These Chinese immigrants would work for cheaper wages and their labor would be used for the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad from 1863 to 1869. Many of the immigrated Chinese workers were subjected to harsh labor burdens and poor living conditions which resulted in the death of hundreds of Chinese workers.

In around the year 1867 China, the Imperial Court of the Qing Dynasty grew concerned about the rising number of deaths inflicting many native Chinese citizens and to help resolve this issue, they selected highly revered and trained ambassadors and religious representatives from China to assist the Chinese railroad workers in America. They would act as emissaries, translators, and priests for the protection of the Chinese immigrants in America and offer funerary rights for the deceased workers and their families. It would be these ambassadors' jobs to act as interpreters and representatives for the Chinese railroad workers while protecting their camps from any danger and superstitious beliefs with rituals, charms, and rites according to traditional Chinese customs.

Shi Yong Zhi, a well renowned martial arts and spiritual master from the legendary Shaolin Temple monastery was one of the few religious emissaries chosen for the assignment. The Shaolin Temple is a renowned Buddhist monastery in northern China known for teaching its monks a rare form of discipline that includes extreme martial arts practices and internal spiritual development. Having achieved mastery and high priest status in various forms of spiritual and martial discipline from the generational lineages of Zen Buddhism taught at the Shaolin monastery, The monk Zhi also achieved high ranking spiritual attainment in the Lama priesthood orders of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. The monk Shi Yong Zhi took on the nickname “Chi” because of his well-known mastery of the universal life force energy known as chi or qi. Chi was more than qualified for the position of an official religious representative of the high imperial Court of the Qing Dynasty.

“Chi!” A voice is heard calling out. The eyes open of a man of east Asian decent with completely gray and silver eyes. Chi breaks from his meditation to answer the call for his name. He is in a cross legged lotus position with his hands clasped together in prayer and a rope wrapped around his neck as he hangs suspended in the air, by his neck, from a large horse shaped gallows by nothing else than the rope. He is practicing a Kung Fu strengthening exercise known as iron neck skill, a martial arts discipline taught to the Shaolin monks to strengthen the neck muscles and build internal protection within the neck, a consummate art that is practiced at the legendary Shaolin Temple in China. Chi has practiced this skill since a child and has mastered the ability to find focus and meditation even in the most extreme conditions like being hung by his neck from a rope.

Chi unfolds his legs and uses his arms to slightly pull himself up and touches his feet to the ground while removing the rope from around his neck. He looks for the source of the voice calling his name through a courtyard of 15 monks in 3 lines of 5, practicing kicking and punching drills simultaneously in unison. Passing the practicing monks and up a stairway that leads into the monastery, he sees his longtime friend and senior monk waving at him to come forward. Upon reaching his fellow Shaolin brother, Chi sees that he is holding a scrolled letter with an official imperial seal of China stamped in red known as The Heirloom Seal of the Realm, which only means that it is an important official document. “The stars have aligned and you have been selected for a special assignment that will surely bring you Buddha's blessings.” The fellow monk explains to Chi while handing him the letter marked with the official imperial seal. Chi reads over the important document and looks up at his fellow Monk with an odd look and asks, “America?”

And so it was, Shi Yong Zhi, the legendary Shaolin Warrior Monk also known as Chi, set forth on his destination for America to live a new life fulfilling his destiny and role as a religious emissary assigned with the official task of bringing blessings and protection to his people. He would travel to various different camps of the Chinese laborers and act as a true form of blessings for them. He found great purpose and meaning helping his grief-stricken people, giving comfort to family and friends of the deceased by offering proper funerary rights so that their spirits would not linger in this world as vengeful or hungry ghosts.

Chi was well learned in Traditional Chinese Medicine and would so act as a doctor and herbalist when outbreaks of diseases would run rampant. Once, he cured every single sick person in a construction camp from a flu outbreak and saved the life of a contractor by curing his almost fatal pneumonia. Noticeably, railroad contractors saw how Chi was helping with the progression of the railroad's construction, so they rewarded him with his own horse that Chi would rename Black Dragon or “Oolong.” Chi, a master horseman, would travel to different camps throughout the construction of the railroad at different construction sites to give his spiritual blessings while finding secluded areas of meditation to continue his martial arts and spiritual mastery for years to come.

In Arizona, more than 5,000 Chinese started migrating into the territory around 1877 to work on the new Southern Pacific Railroad line that ran from Yuma to Tucson and beyond. Chi knew it was his official duty to follow the migration into Yuma and to work in the camps as its priest and medicinal herbalist for the construction of the railroads in Arizona. While in Yuma, he heard about the magnitude of the Grand Canyon and its giant reddish plateaus colored thick by iron oxide deposits and he knew it would be a place of reverence for the cultivation of chi energy and to practice his martial arts and meditation for further spiritual development and mastery. During one of his retreats to the Grand Canyon area, his fate would be intertwined with an effect brought forth by an action that would reverberate throughout the whole world. As Chi settles down for a meditation session on a peak overlooking the Grand Canyon, he thinks of the mountainous countryside back in China with fields of rice terraces now as valleys of reddish plateaus and gorges miles wide. He prepares for a long meditation session by slowly closing his eyes.

Silver opens his eyes while gasping for breath. He is awakened by the sound of a howling wolf in the distance as he looks up at the night sky only to view a giant luminescent full moon with a bright silver hue. Quickly he comes to the realization of his whereabouts and checks his wound only to see that his flesh is completely healed and a scar is all there is left from the gaping wound inflicted by the horrific creature. Getting up, he feels refreshed and wanders around for a bit underneath a starry desert night sky until he realizes that he is being followed.

From out of the shrubbery behind a few bushes appears a large gray wolf slowly approaching. As the wolf slowly walks closer to Silver, it begins to slowly transmutate and shapeshift into a bipedal walking human cloaked in the skin hide of a wolf and wearing the wolf's head pelt as a mask. Silver remains still and watches as the being extends its hands to offer a silver chalice of water. Knowing there is no water available for miles, he takes the offering and drinks.

After Silver drinks the water, it causes his throat to dry up. While he chokes and grabs his throat, he drops the chalice on the ground and a silver liquid metal spills out of the fallen chalice onto the ground into several drops, but then reconnects into a single pool of liquid just as liquid mercury or quicksilver is known to do. Suddenly, Silver's eyes become illuminated by a bright white light as he gasps for air. Being unable to see by a bright light and barely able to breathe, Silver comes to the realization that he is staring up at the bright sunlit sky while laying on his back. It had all been a dream. Silver is now awake and barely clinging to life. A horrifying flesh wound streaks across his right arm and chest, profusely leaking blood and a horrific scene replays out before his mind as he can not comprehend what is a dream and what is reality. Getting up to find water, he soon gathers full consciousness and comes to the realization again that he is stranded in a harsh environment that can quickly turn into a dry wasteland known as the Mojave desert.

Then appearing like a mirage in the distance of the vapors of heat, Silver sees what appears to be a creature approaching with the upper half of a man and the lower half of a horse that resembles a centaur from Greek mythology. Disoriented and confused, Silver draws his revolver and aims it at the creature while awaiting the incoming approach. Slowly as the creature approaches, Silver realizes that it is only a person riding a horse and a possible ticket out of this dire situation and he lowers his gun. A man approaches with a large round wide brim hat dressed in orange monk garments adorned with wooden beaded necklaces and silver shining amulets while riding a jet black horse. Silver waves at the man and shouts out, "Over here, I need help! I'm a dead man!"

The man on horseback approaches cautiously and Silver with his hands on his knees panting for breath says, "Water! I need some water!" The man in monk robes hops down from the horse and hands over a canteen of water to aid Silver's thirst. Silver drinks down the water all at once while huddled over holding his wound. The man sees the blood on Silver's clothing and asks directly in the English language with a Chinese accent, "What Happened?" Silver finishes drinking all the water in the canteen, looks over at the man while showing the gashes across his body and says, "I've been attacked by an animal, you got to help me!" The man inspects his wounds and sees the severe amount of blood loss and how deep the cuts are while giving a very grim expression. "If we don't clean and close your wounds, infection begins and you will surely die!" The man said. He helps Silver over to his black horse and tends to his wounds by wrapping some cloth around the open cuts to apply pressure and help stop the bleeding. "My camp is not far and there I can help better your wounds. You must come with me!" The mysterious man said. He helps Silver onto the rear mount of his horse and takes the steer, then rides off to the apparent destination to help save Silver's life.

The two men make a mad dash on horseback with Silver slumped over holding on to dear life while slipping in and out of consciousness. The men ride for about an hour until they approach a serene hidden area in the gorges that surround the Grand Canyon outside of the southern rim plateau. Inside this area is a beautiful trickling waterfall that flows into a small pond with lush green vegetation. The pond then flows off into another stream branching into the Colorado River. This Serene hidden valley within the gorges of the Grand Canyon, acts as an oasis with plant life and vegetation grown from the trickling waterfalls that lead to the Colorado River.

Inside this secluded and hidden area, sit ancient ruins of housing structures that date back thousands of years. The ancient Pueblo, who the modern Hopi tribe are descended from, lived in these areas and made masonry housing structures out of the iron rich red rocks that fill the valley. Since the early 19th century, the indigenous Pueblos have been known for making silver and turquoise jewelry, baskets, beadwork, animal fetishes, and rare pottery. A truly advanced people whose indigenous ways of technology have now become lost to time. Ancient broken pottery litter the abandoned structures as well as ancient pictographs that glyph the walls eroded by time.

They arrive at the ruined housing structure protected in a cave underneath a gorged out hole in the rocks that act as a roof for the living quarters. Silver, now unconscious, is taken from the horse and brought into a temporary living area of the housing structure with bedding made from Navajo rugs and blankets for sleeping. He places Silver down in the sleeping area and begins to light a fire in a pit located directly in the center of the living quarters. The man then begins to tend to Silver's wounds and while inspecting the area, a grim facial expression goes about his face as he recites to himself a religious mantra out loud; "Amituofo."

For two days and nights Silver rested drifting in and out of consciousness while lucid nightmares plagued his mind. The mysterious man tended to Silver's wounds and miraculously healed him with the medicinal herbs and tonics stored within the secluded camping area. On the third morning, Silver wakes up well rested to the loud sound of knocking and ringing. He exits the shelter and follows the sound to a secluded area near the trickling stream of water that forms a pond. He finds the man practicing an exercise of holding a long stick with a large stone fastened to the end of it with leather bounds and smashing it against the wall of the gorge. The size of the fastened rock being picked up by the large stick and swung by the man's one arm is enormous and shows a feat of strength beyond a normal man's capability. A large hole worn into the wall of the gorge from repeated hammering of the stone shows that he has been practicing this exercise for quite some time, perhaps years. The smell of sweet incense smoke fills the air of this serene oasis in the middle of nowhere while Silver looks at the man and gets his attention by asking, "Where am I?"

Silver and the man sit at a makeshift wooden table and the man starts to warm a kettle over a fire pit in preparation for tea. While the man pours Silver a cup of tea, Silver asks "Who are you?" The man finishes pouring the tea for himself and returns the kettle over the fire pit, then sits down and takes a sip of tea. He looks at Silver with gray eyes and replies in a calm voice, "I am the Monk Shi Yong Zhi, I found you alone in the wilderness suffering from great wounds. Do you remember?" "Yes, you saved my life!" Silver replies. "Tell me what happened." The man asks. “You wouldn't believe me if I told you Reverend, what’d you say your name was again?" Silver asks. The monk smiles and replies, "Please…call me Chi, and you…You were attacked by a demon!"

"It was the devil! Lord Jesus! I met the Beelzebub!" Silver confesses. "He's come to take my soul for my greedy ways. I've stolen so much silver from the earth, Father forgive me! Please help!" Silver confesses as he begins to prostrate on the ground and repent. "That thing killed my friend and almost took my head off. Please Reverend Chi, bless and protect me from the devil. I repent for my sins!"

"You must tell me everything that happened! What did you do?" Chi asks in a serious manner. "I blew up some kind of religious shrine, Reverend Chi, and I unleashed the devil!" Silver responded. "This shrine thing was made out of pure silver like a star with hieroglyphic pictures on it of circles and stuff. There was a serpent with wings and that's all I could see but Charlie said something about the Seal of Solomon. He knows more about that stuff, Charlie would be able to tell you but he fled at the first sign of trouble and left me stranded, that son of a bitch!" Chi looks at Silver with deep curiosity and begins to reach into his satchel while asking "What does this devil look like?"

"I saw the devil himself reverend, you got to believe me!" Silver explains with wide eyes. "The thing looked like a serpent! It looked like a upright walking lizard with huge muscles and the strength of five men or more. I watched it tear off the head of my best frontiersman and drink on his mortal blood. I unloaded my six shooter directly at it and it had no effect. When it struck me, it was like being kicked by a horse! I barely made it out of there if it wasn't for my quick thinking by lighting up a stick of dynamite and throwing it at its feet. You saved my life Reverend Chi! You truly are an angel from God!"

Chi opens a bag that was carried around his shoulder and from it he removes a bamboo shoot that acts as a container. Opening the top cap of the bamboo shoot container, he pulls out a rolled up scroll manuscript made of tattered parchment that looks aged with time. Reading through it, an expression of fear fills his eyes. "The being you encountered belongs to an ancient race of serpent humanoids! It is said they were one of the original dominant species of this planet and they were driven underground by a great war between the celestial demigods that are our progenitors.

These entities feed on the flesh and blood of mortal men. They are closely descended from the dominant reptiles who fed on mammals in their early primeval evolution and because they are higher on the food chain, they look at humans as if we are a food source like humans view the cow or sheep. They developed as bipedal sentient beings prior to humans and they view us as lower conscious life forms because of our ancestors with primitive primate mammal species. Snake people still feed on the flesh and blood of human beings just as we humans still feed on the flesh and blood of sentient beings of lower life form consciousness like the pig and cattle who remain lower on the food chain." Silver can only look and listen as his viewpoint of the world shatters with every spoken word from the monk Chi.

"They are powerful ethereal beings who draw immense energy from spirit realm and because of this, no normal weapon can pierce their skin to cause mortal wounds. The only way for an entity of such ethereal power to be vanquished is by the elemental metal silver. Pure silver has the ability to retain heat like no other metal and can so transition its energy and mass into the ethereal spirit realm. Silver is a transition metal that exhibits the highest thermal and electrical conductivity and it is more reflective of that energy than any other metal. It was most likely the element that has been used as a seal that kept this serpent demon barriered within the Earth.

Pure silver can be an antibiotic that prevents wounds from becoming infected and that silver star seal may have prevented negative entities in the underworld from infecting this Earthly realm. Similarly, I used a thin foil of pure silver leaf to stop the spread of infection from your wound caused by such a creature. If the silver seal was a barrier to the underworld and that barrier is gone, that means those ethereal entities will have immense power in this realm and will be attracted to you like flies towards light because of your actions removing that barrier. They may view you as a source of silver that prevents them from living in this realm and will stop at nothing to remove you. The only thing that can prevent these negative energy entities from infecting this world any further is more silver and they will harvest all of it on Earth so that it cannot be used against them in war!”

Silver looks down bewildered with a defeated expression and says, "Shit! How was I supposed to know all that?" "It is because of your greed that you have set forth these events and the only way to positively balance your karma and sin is to make it right again." Chi explains. "How do I do that, Reverend Chi?" Silver asks in shame. "We must confront your demon and try to reseal that entrance!" Chi pronounced.

"If these demons are to come after me, then will they not come here looking for me?" Silver asks. "We are safe in this area." Chi explains. "These iron rich red rocks are heavy in electromagnetic energy that is like a fog to the senses which disorients one's tracking abilities of ethereal source energy from the conduit in which it is provided off of the Earth's grid. Within this oasis, negative energy entities will be unable to source you and you will be safe from their wrath.

I advise you stay here under my tutelage, I can train you in my martial discipline and spiritual development needed to fight these powerful ethereal forces. I can teach you the ancestral ways of demon hunting handed down to me and how to use weapons infused with pure silver to vanquish these evil ethereal forces. Only after you learn my martial traditions will I feel you are ready to take on these negative energies as an exorcist demon hunter and warrior monk trained in the art of exercising demons through my disciplic succession."

"Well then I guess I have no choice. I'm pretty much stranded out here and I really owe you my life. Everything I've ever known is in question and I don't know what to believe anymore." Silver replies to Chi while laying on the ground. "That is perfect!" Chi pronounces. "Forget everything you know because in order to learn what I must teach you, you must empty your cup to be able to receive. From now on call me as your teacher and I will refer to you as my disciple and you will have to receive my instructions with utmost respect and martial honor."

In the secluded area of Chi’s campsite oasis located within the Grand Canyon, Chi begins to explain to Silver the ancient art of traditional Shaolin Kung Fu. “First, before you learn how to fight, you must learn how to stand. Just as a child must learn to crawl before it can walk, you must learn how to stand before you can learn how to fight. There is no building that can stand properly without a strong foundation and thus no warrior can become a master of their body without the basics of building a foundation to start. The horse stance is the most valuable treasure of all Shaolin. This standing posture represents riding a horse and you will see that practicing it will harness energy within the waist and will build internal core strength needed for a proper foundation.”

Silver begins to hold the posture after Chi showed him the proper way but Silver, after only 10 seconds, begins to move in pain. “It's too painful! How do ya hold it for so long?” Silver asks. Chi explains, “You must learn to harness your breath energy to concentrate and focus, and use this breath energy to culminate the healing universal life force energy known as qi. ‘Qi’ or ‘Chi’ is the breath of life! It is the primary substance that binds everything together and can give us energy. It exists everywhere within nature and it can be harnessed by a master practitioner to bless us with its medical power.

There are three access points the body has that can harness this energy. The first access point exists in your core center 2” below the navel and is the largest vessel to store this energy that can be used as a chamber pot to access qi directly. The second access point exists in the heart center where energy can be stored and blessed with the holy names of God, and the third is within the mind, and can be used as a sailing vessel to see into the astral ether and spiritual realm.

Using the breath you can move qi energy throughout your body to strengthen it with internal and external energy medicine so that you do not feel pain when practicing strenuous stances.” Chi explained. “Wow, so qi is like the holy spirit?” Silver asks. “Yes, but only in essence. The totality of the three access points known as ‘Dan Tian’ serve as a representation of the body, mind, and spirit trinity; culminating into the idea of the supreme godhead. I will show you a practice which you will be able to use for the cultivation of qi energy to achieve this union.

This traditional technique can be used while in your horse stance for churning the chamber pot of your lower dantian access point for cultivating healing qi energy.” Chi begins to demonstrate the technique by placing his one hand vertically and the other horizontally connected in a prayer mudra as he performs a circular motion. As Silver repeats the motion Chi explains, “I will give to you a secret mantra to use while practicing this technique.” “What’s a mantra?” Silver asks. “This ‘mantra’ is a formulation of harmonious sacred tones into the holy names of divine manifestations passed down from master to disciple for many generations. It is the formulation of sacred tones that provides the healing and life-giving power of creation. While repeating this mantra, you will focus the words in your middle dantian energy access center to live within the heart. This mantra is called the Prajnaparamita mantra written within the teachings of the heart sutra.” Chi explains. It was at that very moment that Chi whispered into Silver's ear the words of the secret mantra.

“Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasemgate Bodhi-svaha.”

Just as Silver hears the words of the mantra, a flash of light goes about his eyes and an expression of reflection on his face. “A mantra is like the Lord's prayer! Shoot, I remember having to do a thousand hail Marys when I was a little kid coming out of confession.” Silver remarks. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out what looks like a necklace with a sterling silver cross. “This is my rosary gifted to me by my nanny when I made communion. I keep it with me always for good luck. Maybe the silver cross brought me some luck against that demon, huh Chi?” Chi examines the rosary and remarks to Silver, “Just as you count each bead of your rosary saying the Lord's prayer, I want you to do the same with the new mantra rotating back and forth between the two on each circumambulation of the rosary or mala. The mala and the rosary share the same number of beads, 108, and both can be used the same way for practicing concentrated focus and reflective thought.

Learn to use each breath by breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Focus your intention in your mind's eye and use this imagination as practice for meditation to cultivate the third eye's higher energy access point. By practicing these three techniques in your horse stance you can strengthen mind, body, and soul and develop a strong foundation. I will be unable to teach you any further until I feel you are sufficient in building your solid horse stance foundation.”

For the next few days Silver practiced intense stance training with intention on the Shaolin horse stance. One day within the secluded campsite, Silver is practicing his daily martial arts routine of meditating in a horse stance. The serene atmosphere of a waterfall trickling into a small pond surrounded by beautiful green vegetation with a stream leading into the Colorado River gives a beautiful scene of tranquility. Fragrant incense smoke can be seen billowing as a mist above the waters and Silver can be seen near the pond balancing a bowl of water on his head while in the position of a deep and strenuous horse stance with bowls of water resting upon each thigh. With his hands in the prayer position, Silver is reciting the mantra that was taught to him by Chi in a deep meditative state. Silver detaches from the world around him in deep concentration of detached meditation while not spilling a single drop of water from the bowls balancing on his body.

Chi returns to the oasis with food and supplies riding on Black Dragon. He notices Silver in a deep meditative state holding a strenuous horse stance with the bowls of water on his legs and sure enough, he is impressed. The speed in which Silver has been developing his skill far exceeds that of many students Chi had taught in the past. He hops off Black Dragon and walks over to Silver and notices that Silver has most likely been in this posture for a very long time from the length of the incense stick that has been burned sufficiently. He walks up to Silver and says, “Impressive!” Right then Silver snaps out of his meditation and starts to scream in pain, knocking the bowls of water over spilling on his legs while falling on the ground in stiff pain and agony. He was in such a deep meditative concentration that he lost all concept of his body. His body became stiff and locked up because of the exertion through his muscle straining but because his mind was in such detached meditation, he did not realize it. All Silver can do, with the realization and awareness of his body, is fall down and quiver in pain until his muscles and legs can uncramp. Chi looks down laughing and says to Silver, “Enough for now, rest up! Tomorrow you start learning Shaolin combat skills!”

The next day, Chi begins to teach Silver the art of the Shaolin pugilist. “First you must learn the basic skill of the three jewels system of applicable fighting combat. The first jewel is your block and defensive technique. The second, your parry or palm technique and the third is your punch or fist offense. The block is your protection and defense, and the opposite punch is your attack and offense. The palm parry acts as a bridge between the two and is a combination of them both. While parrying you can execute a block and an attack at the same time. These three techniques are derived from the duality of offense and defense and the state of in-between. When you learn how to apply block, parry, and punch techniques with transitions between different stances, then you will have integrated this system into your reaction timing and thus will become instinctually sharp in the art of offense and defense.

Silver and Chi spend days practicing kicking and punching drills while Silver learns the technique of punches, kicks, and stances by practicing traditional shaolin form on an extreme daily regiment. After a few weeks, Chi notices how well developed Silver is in kicking and punching drills and brings him to the next step of adding qi to his combat for the benefit of strength and protection. Chi places a large stone on top of another and shows Silver his breathing technique and then with a loud yell, slaps his palm directly onto the large redstone splitting it in half. Silver looks at Chi amazed. “This is the Shaolin Temple Iron Palm skill.” Chi says. “It is a famous Shaolin skill that uses external hardness of one's own hand and internal qi energy to transmit force and break an object. When properly used, one can harness the power of qi energy to break through many objects at once. Having the strength of this will turn your hands into weapons similar to iron. Only when I have noticed enough of your hands becoming weapons, then I shall teach you the next step of arming yourself with actual weapons.”

Silver adapts quickly and instinctively, possessing the true warrior spirit. He continues to train day and night the new teachings he is learning. Impressed by the speed in which Silver is retaining the skills of Shaolin, Chi asks Silver to demonstrate his iron palm skill. Silver stops his practice, grabs a medium sized stone off the ground and places it on top of another. Silver goes into his meditative practice and churns his lower dantian chamber pot for qi cultivation while reciting the mantra. With deep focus and intense meditation, Silver fills his hand with as much qi energy as he can, raises it in the air and with a loud shout, slaps it as hard as he can against the stone shattering it into pieces. Chi looks overwhelmed as this is an incredible feat for someone who is still a beginner in the skills of Shaolin. It has become obvious that Silver possesses a large amount of spiritual energy, far more than a normal man beginning to cultivate its energy. Silver looks over at Chi for acknowledgement and with a sincere look on his face Chi nods his head in agreement, mutters a impressed notion, and walks away.

The following day Silver and Chi are practicing striking techniques when Chi explains to Silver, “Now I will teach you weapons that you can use to defend yourself in the traditional art of Shaolin. The first is the Shaolin long pole, and it is used as an extension of your body. This crude instrument is the most ancient weapon next to the fist. It is a weapon that gives mercy to the transgressor and offers forgiveness without the need to take one's life. All other weapons are intertwined within its technique and it is the most important and famous weapon of a Shaolin warrior monk.” Chi picks up the large wooden pole with a massive rock tethered to the end of it, lets out a mighty yell, and smacks the pole against the red walls of the canyon making a loud ringing bell sound echo throughout the canyon. “Now you try.”

Silver tries to pick up the wooden pole but cannot move it off the ground at all. “You will have to start smaller.” Chi points to a smaller pole with a smaller rock fastened to it meant for beginning the practice. Silver looks at the smaller pole with disappointment and says, “No offense teacher, but I don't know why you would waste your time fighting with sticks when all it takes is one bullet from my Colt 45 to clean a head off.” Silver retreats into the housing structure where his sleeping area is located and returns with his Colt-Walker Revolver and shows it to Chi. “This revolver is a symbol of the changing times Chi! How do you expect to defeat a man with a gun pointed at you when you only have a stick to fight with?” Chi looks at the revolver and then calmly says to Silver, “We are not fighting man.”

Practicing with the smallest pole, Silver develops a daily habit of picking up the long pole with both hands, swinging it, and hitting the stone end of the pole against the red rock walls of the inner canyon. After a few weeks training this technique daily, on a day of extreme exercise, only once a very low ringing sound is briefly heard. Chi, sitting at his wooden table drinking tea away from Silver, has his attention distracted from his peaceful contemplation by the ringing sound and he knows that it is time for the next stage of training for Silver. He goes into the stone housing structure and retrieves a sword within a wooden sheath and brings it over to Silver who is still practicing the long pole exercise. Silver sees Chi approaching and says to him, “Did you hear it?”

Approaching Silver, Chi unsheathes the sword from its wooden pear tree sheathing with carved inscriptions and brandishes the curved blade for Silver's impressed eyes in a way so that the blade makes a sharp metal slicing sound as it exits the sheath. “Hear this!” Chi yells. “You must now learn the ancient art of the blade. The blade is a tool that has been used since the dawn of civilization for its technology. The blade can represent humanity's triumph over nature and it is a tool that brought man out of the stone age. Blades can be used as short weapons and attached to long poles for extended weaponry.

A master bladesmith can inlay or overlay pure silver into the forging of blades for the purpose of ritual combat. There are three techniques to create silver weaponry that are rooted in ancient traditions and secrets. The most ancient rooted tradition is forging pure silver into talismanic charms and spells and then crafting the talisman into the hilt or handle of the sword thus allowing the bearer to use the weapon in ritual combat but this method is the least effective against greater spirit energies and can only be welded by a high priest for maximum effectiveness. The newer and more efficient way of forging silver weapons is for the master bladesmith to inlay pure silver into the blade by inscribing spells and talismanic charms with hammer and chisel into the steel of the blade and then hammering pure silver wire into the grooved inscriptions during the process of forging. This process allows the metals to be melded together and used as blades that possess the strength and durability to exercize demons by cutting their silver cord with talismanic effect. The third method is to overlay silver foil into the forging of the blade, a useful technique but it lacks the strength and durability of its predecessor and is a less effective weapon respectively. The third method is less labor-intensive, less expensive, and does not require a master bladesmith to forge. Talismanic charms and inscriptions act as conduits of divine energy for exorcism. Thus, the blade is the top weapon of the warrior and it is a must you learn its technique.”

“I'm grateful to learn this Chi and I know the sword has been the top weapon of the warrior forever but times are changin. See… you don't ever want to bring a knife to a gunfight Rev. This revolver here is now the new technology that replaces the blade. Don't you agree? The civil war is over. No one uses the sword anymore, it’s for show and decoration.” Silver remarks.

Chi looks visibly disturbed. “There are some who believe qi energy development can stop the effect of weapons not made with silver.” He explains. “Stop a bullet?” Silver asks. “There's no way! Chi you don't think you could withstand a bullet do you? I've seen this revolver do more damage than dynamite.” Chi pauses for a minute and then explains, “Unless a weapon is made with pure silver, it will have no effect on entities empowered with great spirit essence. It is like firing your weapon at iron armor. Did your gun have an effect on the devil you encountered?” Silver is humbled into agreement as a thought came to him while looking at his revolver. “What if I make silver rounds instead of lead balls to shoot from a gun? It would have to work, right?” Chi thinks for a second and agrees with a simple, “Perhaps.”

The two men could have never possibly known but they were speaking about monumental leaps in technology within human history. In the late 20th century, the oldest known swords to have ever existed were unearthed from burial mounds in modern day Turkey in the region of Anatolia. The discovery of these bronze age swords pushed the beginning of bronze age civilizations to a new earlier estimated date of 3300 BC, 800 years before the pyramids. The discovery of these swords alone dates the beginning of the bronze age from out of the stone age and marks the earliest known use of swords in the world. Some of those newly discovered bronze age swords are inlaid with untarnished pure silver talismanic designs signifying the use of ceremonial swords in early bronze age civilizations. Not only were swords used in battle but swords were also identified as being used in rituals and ceremonies for religious rites.

Smithing such objects with different alloy metals signified advanced knowledge in metallurgy and it is thought these same early bronze age civilizations, with technology in metallurgy, would seed the empires of Mesopotamia, Persia, the early Greeks, the Nordic bronze age, and the warring states period of China until the introduction of iron that would shift the world into a new age. The art of foraging steel with fine silver and gold would be mastered in the ancient city of Damascus and would take on the name damascening, producing the world famous Damascus steel. The two surviving techniques of inlaying and overlaying silver and gold into steel would be known as true damascening and the latter false.

After a couple of weeks, Silver became very fluent in basic blade exercises and one day during training, Chi said to Silver, “I have one more thing to teach you before I feel you will have the basics understood and strongly developed. Your skill has been advancing and we have been training at an accelerated rate within this atmosphere for spiritual development. This teaching…it is for the advanced student. You must learn to harness the energy of your spirit animal and take on its characteristics in your fighting applications. The spirit animal allows us to fight with that animal's ethereal spirit energy.

The dragon and the tiger represent duality in the nature of forces. While the tiger remains the king of the jungle on this earth, the dragon remains the king of the heavenly realms. These two animals can represent the dominant forces of nature; light and darkness, positive and negative, sun and moon, and yin and yang. While the dragon rises just as the sun rises from the east, the tiger subsides like the sun sets at the west. These two animals are a very ancient symbol of the Shaolin way and symbolize the dual nature of all things. The master is the dragon and his disciple is the tiger and thus, I shall now begin to teach you the infamous tiger style of Shaolin Temple. While learning this style I want you to meditate on a poem that was written by a famous Shaolin monk and handed out to his disciple while learning the art from him.

"The Dragon and Tiger met at the Wind and Cloud; Disciples show respect and promote the martial art of Shaolin, so generation after generation of students remember and follow the Shaolin way.”

The meaning behind this authorism is interpreted, whenever the dragon and the tiger encounter each other, be cautious as there is sure to be conflict. The student must be vigil to revive and propagate the teachings of Shaolin so the legacy from Shaolin will survive for future generations. The origins of Shaolin are shrouded in mystery and legend and can be debated amongst scholars. From our traditional lineage at the Shaolin Temple monastery it is known that the monk Ta Mo, during his expedition in China, spread the philosophy of Chan (Zen Buddhism). At a Buddhist monastery in the mountains of Shaolin is where Ta Mo gave the monks a set of 18 actions to be done regularly that would develop their chi energy. Thus, started the so-called 18 monk boxing. In later years, A priest revised the 18 methods into 72 skills and promoted the Shaolin art until it thundered throughout China. It would then be developed further into many animal styles and family school lineages of Chinese boxing or what we call Gong Fu but its origins are believed to have been cultivated at The Shaolin Temple monastery.” Chi then teaches Silver the legendary Shaolin Tiger Claw technique.

After training for months in traditional methods taught to Chi at the Shaolin temple, it became time for Silver to train in the art of applicable combat. Chi walks up to Silver slowly and explains to him, “Now it is time to enter the next phase of training, the most important part. The part of physical contact fighting applications and experience in the practice of combat.” As he explains this to Silver, he walks up to him on guard and prepares to physically engage into the next step of training with a sparring session to see how good Siver has become after all this training. Chi has noticed the unique style in which Silver has adapted to the traditional Shaolin skill and how hard he has trained over the past months and suspects him to be very powerful.

Standing in front of Silver within physical contact range Chi shouts, “Now defend yourself!” He throws a straight corkscrew punch directly into Silver's face. Knowing Silver's reaction timing and guard will be very sharp and immediately after throwing the strike, Chi side steps to the left on a 45° angle and enters into a defense position guarding his upper and lower body in anticipation for a strike from Silver, but before he even has a chance to finish the movement of the defense posture, his fist fully connects into Silver's face right between his eyes and knocks him flat on the ground. “Ahhhhhhhh…what the hell Chi?” Silver screams while holding his face in agony. Chi then realizes Silver didn't actually comprehend that they were supposed to start sparring. Chi yells out, “I’m sorry.” Silver holds his face in agony crying out, “That was your fist? Feels like you butt me with a rifle!”

One day while training, Chi notices Silver's concentration is off. It seems his focus is elsewhere during his meditation and during his sparring, his accuracy has been off. “What is on your mind Silver? Please explain to me why your mind is elsewhere.” Chi asks. “I can't help but think of my girl Jenny.” Silver explains. “Prettiest girl I know, has long beautiful black hair. Her values are like no other out here in the west. A well respected woman who I had the blessings of sharing love with. At the saloon she would work, we would talk for hours as time flew by and we formed a beautiful loving relationship, but it was the whiskey that got me in the end. She up and left me after I'd gone on a 3-day bender and she had enough of my ways of drinking and gambling. Well, I tried to get my act together but it just was no use. As every time I came to see her she smelled the whiskey on my breath and oftentimes I couldn't hide my drunkenness. I ended up going for the whiskey until she wanted no more of me.

She was the only girl that I ever really loved and she thought a whole bunch of me and I might have chosen the whiskey over her. I want to eventually right my wrongs. Even with all the amounts of silver I would have at times, she just wouldn't get back with me unless I put down the whiskey. She's just not that type of woman. I worked hard at my discipline over these past months learning from you Chi and well, I think I’m able to seek forgiveness from Jenny and I have the strength to walk the straight path”

Hearing this immediately caused Chi to pause for a second while concentrating on his next words to speak. “I've never been with a woman.” Chi replied. “You've never been with a woman? You mean you've never been married?” Silver asks. “No, I have never been with a woman nor have I experienced love in the form of an intimate relationship with another partner.” Chi explains. “God damn Chi….You've got to be kidding? How come?” Silver asks.

“I have taken the path of buddhahood since I was a child. My earliest memory is growing up in the monastery learning the teachings of detachment from sense gratification passed down from generations in spiritual succession. Furthering my path of buddhahood, I've taken the role of a brahmacharya by practicing celibacy and abstinence. The love that you seek, that burning desire, that can be attained in buddhahood by practicing what is in the teachings.” Chi replied. Wow, so you're still a virgin! Well I'll be!” Silver remarked while slightly laughing. “I have been cultivating my lifeforce energy for transmutation into qi vitality.” Chi remarks while being continuously interrupted by Silver's laughter. “If you continue to choose love of a woman over buddhahood, then you may lose the ability to attain Nirvana.” Chi explains.

“What? So gain enlightenment and heaven or have sex and go to hell huh? What kind of shit is that! Boy, that's the forbidden fruit! You sure are a priest, huh Chi. God damn! Then how come God made Adam and Eve, like a woman for a man, and said be fruitful and multiply?” Silver asks. “Perhaps they are no longer in the garden of Eden because of their sexual desires. It is said that even the mightiest of demigods from the most benevolent material planets had sexual desires for earthly women on this material plane. Such transgression only begot malevolence and they lost their heavenly countenance.” Chi explains.

“Well anyways, I also got a hound dog buddy back home that I miss too. I love that dog more than I loved Jenny sometimes to be honest. I had to leave him at a friend's place where I got him from the litter. I just can't risk something happening to him on my dangerous expeditions. Some say he's not even my dog anymore but he knows who his master is.” Silver remarks to Chi.

Chi’s eyes then lit up. Growing up in the monastery Chi had experienced the love of raising a dog as a family member and friend. Some of the stray dogs at the monastery would have puppies and some of the puppies would be given to the children growing up in the monastery to raise and help teach them the fundamental values of the master-student relationship by his peers in the temple. Chi experienced the real pain of having that best friend die due to old age. The way Silver would listen and respond to Chi’s commands would give him flashbacks of his dog at the monastery growing up. These feelings he would never tell Silver but it brought him a real deep and meaningful connection. Hearing this he knew that it was time to depart, for it was the end of Silver's training, for now.

After nine months of extreme martial arts training regiments under the tutelage of Chi, the time has come for the two men to leave the protection of the secluded oasis where they have been living away from society. Chi can be seen putting his belongings into the pack saddles of Black Dragon while securing any loose items to be stored away for the next time he returns to his hermitage. Near the trickling stream of water flowing into the pond surrounded by lush vegetation, Silver is seen in deep moving meditation practicing his martial arts regiments. After gathering a significant amount of qi energy and chanting his mantras, he enters into a state of transcended meditation. Silver begins to focus intently in the mind's eye as he starts to perceive his surroundings through an extra sensory perception and realizes just how secluded they really are in this vast area. As he focuses and expands his mind, he projects his awareness to further distances and senses a dark presence looming and a powerful negative energy that is causing him extreme fear.

Silver realizes the energy is coming from all directions and is surrounding him with a dark energy of fear that is causing evil thoughts of pain and displeasure. He focuses his mind to return to his senses but before he can become fully aware, he is greeted by the presence of a dark shadowy figure. An all black silhouette of a human figure staring forth with red eyes directly into Silver’s eyes, giving him the utmost dread and fear. The dark figure draws closer and is seemingly sucking Silver's life force out of him to where he can no longer breathe properly as he hears a voice arising silently from within his own being. The voice tells him, “The mantra!” Silver then remembers the mantra he was taught by Chi and quickly recites it. Immediately, the black shadowy figure can be seen dissipating and dissolving into nothing as Silver becomes more consciously aware of his own body and opens his eyes to see Chi standing in front of him where the shadowy figure once was. Silver now realizes that it was Chi telling him to recite the mantra.

“There's something…something's trying to get me teacher! It's evil. I could feel it. What is it?” Silver asks. “Tell me what you saw!” Chi said in response. “I started to see and feel that everything around me was one and in balance but that’s when an overwhelming sense of fear came over me and I saw a shadow man with fiery red eyes coming after me. It was pure evil!” Silver explains. “Perhaps it was the devil you encountered?” Chi Asks. “I don't think so because it looked different.” Silver replies. “It may be the astral form of the entity you encountered trying to find you but because of this location they can only succeed in the astral plane of existence. When we leave here, it is imperative that you be on full alert at all times. Even at rest!” Chi explained.

Finally the day has come for the men to depart. They are returning to Yuma where Silver owns a small rancher in town. They plan on collecting Silver’s remaining metal silver bullion stash and while in town, reconnect with his peers. Chi has left the location so that when he returns, he can continue his training in hermitage. They take an old trail along the Colorado River, both men riding upon Black Dagon. For most of the trip Chi will be riding the horse while Silver carries the supplies on his back for strengthening exercises. They have a little less than a week's travel and they both decided that they will stop at The Traveler's Tavern Inn on the way to Yuma. Silver convinced Chi to stop at the hotel so that they can get rest in an actual modern building. The Traveler’s Tavern Inn was a hotel that sprang up around the time of the early gold and silver rush. Many entrepreneurs would make fortunes opening up hotels around new gold and silver discoveries for the sole purpose to house and accommodate the miners who were traveling to the area in hopes to strike it rich. The Traveler’s Tavern Inn is the very hotel where Silver learned of the abandoned silver mine, as the tenants of the inn and local patrons would still harbor rumors of a once prominent silver mine the hotel was originally built to accommodate.

Silver is armed with his revolver, a long pole, and a blade provided by Chi. He is also in possession ofa silver talisman blessed by Chi. “Take this talisman for protection until we can forge you a weapon of silver.” Chi said, handing Silver a pure metal silver charm. Leaving the safety of the oasis, they take a small trail that travels alongside the Colorado River for a few miles until it branches off into a giant forest. This gaint forest would eventually be labeled a forest reserve for the Grand Canyon area and be named the Kaibab Forest. This massive forest area expands the northern territories of Arizona and surrounds the rims of the Grand Canyon.

Upon reaching the entrance to the forest, the men take a second to prepare themselves because of the possibility of encounters with supernatural enemies. They travel for quite some time within the massive forest area until they reach a grove of thin trees spaiously spread apart. There, they would decide to camp for the night. While collecting wood for a fire, Silver can be seen scavenging the immediate area while Chi unpacks the provisions to set up camp. It was at this time that Chi notices the keen sense of awareness of Silver and how he locates material needed for the fire and decides to test his skill and picks up a long stick from the ground. He slowly creeps up behind Silver to hit him with a strike but as soon as the stick is about to make contact with the back of Silver’s shoulders, his keen sense of awareness allows him to graciously evade the blow.

Realizing that he was being tested, Silver grabs a long wooden stick off of the ground and swings it in the direction of Chi, which is then blocked. The two men begin a sparring session with wooden poles clacking throughout the forest. An intense match of stick fighting ensues with both men performing equal to each other respectively. Suddenly with quick reflexes, Chi manages to deflect Silver's pole to the ground and when Silver reacts to strike the stick upward, Chi grabs the end of the pole with a tiger claw technique holding it firmly so that Silver cannot have control over the stick. A tense stalemate begins with both men unable to move due to the resistance of one another's push and pull, one grabbing the stick while the other tries to move it away. During this intense standoff, the men failed to realize that their location became compromised. Crashing through the dense thicket of small trees, branches, and foliage located directly behind the men comes a huge native warrior swinging a large tomahawk as he emerges through the thicket.

Taken off guard, Silver and Chi both stumble back as the warrior moves forward swinging the tomahawk ferociously in the direction of Chi tearing down branches and trees in his path. Quickly closing the distance, the huge native warrior slashes at Chi with enough intention and force to cleave his head off. Chi evades the blow by dipping his head and quickly springs forward with an attack to the warriors vital organs on his exposed right side with a corkscrew punch while directing a significant amount of qi energy into the attack. The impact was powerful and pushed the massive warrior back making him stumble a few yards and almost fall down before regaining his balance. A strange pinging sound emanated from the attack unlike a normal strike making Chi look confused. The massive warrior, surprised by the strength of the attack, composed himself and bellowed out huge laughter saying in nearly perfect English, “Remarkable!”

“Iron Mountain?” Silver shouts in a question. “Silver!” Says the massive man. “I have been tracking you for several moons to no avail! I have come to deliver you from your captors and to restore balance to the universal energy that has become disrupted.” Says Iron Mountain. “No Iron Mountain, he's a friend!” Silver yells. The massive warrior Iron Mountain lowers his guard, slowly walks over to the men, and speaks.

“Greetings compatriot traveler, I am Iron Mountain. The undefeated warrior medicine man from the venerable Hopi tribe. There has been a great disruption in the universal life force energy and I have gone through great lengths to find you. You are being watched! The wild man of the forest, who acts as its guardians of preservation, is tracking and observing your location. They have been disrupted by your actions which has set forth a calamity of happenings causing the effect of negative energies to accumulate within the universal Puha, causing great imbalance on the earth. “Pu-Ha” is the universal spirit force energy given to all things, living or inanimate, that can personally empower us with healing medicine. With this great disruption in balance, the blessings of the medicine power has become less effective and the negative effects have become more prevalent. If you do not offer your sincerest appeasement to the forest guardians, they will see you as a threat to the forest and the universal way of life and stop at nothing to remove you.

Furthermore, you are being stalked. This disruption has caught the attention of an evil witch, or what is known as a skinwalker to our people, who will relentlessly pursue the source of this energy disruption. The skinwalker has the supernatural ability to become anthropomorphic and shapeshift into various animals of the forest with very powerful dark magic, growing more powerful with full moon energy. Many times they appear in the form of creatures that resemble bipedal dogmen of great strength and size that can only be defeated using silver amulets and weapons. When used properly, silver weapons and amulets can give its user protection, strength and the ability to ward off and vanquish evil. A silver mirror can act as a magic tool to see if a reflection appears of disguised demons in human form. If there is no reflection, the entity is not human but an astral vampire.

I have mastered the linguistics of the English language perfectly so that I might convey the Hopi prophecy without mis-translation in literature. I have also been trained in traditional lineages of knowledge and spiritual medicine power passed down by my ancestors and because of this and the magical artifacts bestowed to me through generations, I possess great magic from my Puha medicine power and spiritual foresight. While singing my medicine song, I tracked you down from the Earth's grid energies where they disconnected from source and tethered to you by your imbalanced actions. While tracking your location, I managed to accumulate these signs without being tracked myself. Now that I am in your company, I do not believe I can avoid the observation of the forest guardians nor the relentless pursuit of the skinwalker any longer and we should prepare for an encounter with them.” Iron Mountain told the men.

Silver staring in amazement with his jaw hanging takes a second and asks with absolute resentment. “Who are the wild men? Chi?” Silver looking over at Chi for acknowledgement. Chi having expert knowledge in exorcism and demon hunting might have an idea of the beings that Iron Mountain is speaking of. “The wild man of the forest is the great primordial ancestor of the wilderness within the vastness of Turtle Island.” Iron Mountain continued. “We share progeny with the same ancestors of the wild man so many humans seek to return to that primordial state of being in balance with the great Puha. The skinwalker is a human who possesses such qualities of returning back to the wild into that undomesticated way of living.

When domesticated pigs, whose skin is hairless, escape from their livestock inhabitation and return to the wild, they will grow a thick and coarse coat of fur becoming hairier as it adapts to its environment and reverts back to its more wild and feral traits. These feral pigs are often associated with becoming more aggressive and growing larger tusks while shedding their more domesticated and peaceful nature for a more hostile way of living in order to guarantee its survival. Similarly, human beings, when reverting back to their wild nature, will grow more hair, become larger, and more aggressive resembling their giant wild ancestor. The wild man is the wild ancestor of humans similar to how the wolf is the wild ancestor of the dog. Some possess the ability to control their wild primordial will. Oftentimes these outcast humans will become students of wild men forming tribes and breeding families that serve as that forest's guardian of dominion, overseeing its preservation.

The wild men possess great spiritual Puha medicine power because they are in balance with nature by returning back to their original state of being closer to creation. They possess larger craniums which allows them to access psychological features not understood by man while they traverse the astral space and conjure magic with supreme will over us. The wild man is a very powerful spiritual being but when their will has been corrupted by negative forces, they descend into chaotic madness oftentimes performing dark magic rituals that cause great harm to others for the sole purpose of their own personal benefit. These giants of old, many of whom have been at war with humans, have also been our benefactors of knowledge through ancient generations as they have been here longer than us and they are our great primordial grandfather.

Just as good and evil exist in the hearts of man through one's own understanding of will, so does good and evil exist in every corner of the universe that sentient humanoid beings inhabit who control their own will. True guardians of the forest live in peace and harmony with nature and the universal Puha medicine power. They are at constant war with skinwalkers and evil wild men who cause imbalances and live in constant chaos. Oftentimes skinwalkers steal children of local human tribes so that they can be raised amongst the wild men to become great evil sorcerers and contribute to their degenerate ways of chaotic imbalance for personal benefit. When in the forest, there is no escape from the forest guardians. They can always see us when we cannot see them.

The transformation from a human back to a wild man can take many generations but skinwalkers have the power to become anthropomorphic and shapeshift into a wild man as well as many other forest animals. Oftentimes these ritual transformations are obtained by using dark magic practices with evil effects, thus the skinwalker is banned from tribal society and is seen as an outcast evil witch. The skinwalker is a very powerful foe that should not be taken lightly and we should prepare for a spiritual battle to the death with such an enemy.”

“What should we do then?” Asks Silver. “We should immediately seek advice from the holy forest guardians so that we may have their blessings and protection from the relentless skinwalker’s dark magic. “Great! How do we do that?” Silver asks in disbelief.

One of us must knock on a tree very hard with a large stick in any number pattern and wait until you hear the same knocking pattern in response, then repeat the pattern one more time to initiate the offering.” Iron Mountain explains. Having no patience, Silver picks up a large tree branch from the ground to use as a club and slammed it against the largest tree he could find in the immediate area. The impact was so hard it broke the club in half shaking the branches of the large tree evacuating all the birds, while reverberating a large boom that could be heard echoing throughout the forest. “There, that should be enough to get anyone's attention for a good distance right?” Silver told the men. Iron Mountain looked at Silver bewildered when suddenly a large boom can be heard about a hundred yards away in the forest that sounded even louder than the first one.

“I think we have company!” Silver then picks up another branch off the ground and initiates the final knock against the same tree causing another loud boom to echo. “We must stay put, do not approach, and wait to be greeted while remaining in a position of reverence and prostration.” Iron Mountain explains. The three men knelt down, placed their weapons in front of them, while the monk Chi offered sweet incense into the air, chanting various hymns and mantras of protection and peace.

Soon the shrubbery in front of the men begins to open up and out from behind the bushes and branches emerges a giant hairy and muscular bipedal human-like ape creature over 7ft tall and covered from head to toe with brownish red shaggy hair except in the face, holding a severed deer leg. The stench was so horrendous and unbearable, Silver could barely breathe without instantly feeling like he needed to vomit sick. He concentrated on holding his breath with slow intakes of air to limit his sense of smell. This way he would not get sick and offend the massive unknown creature. Eventually overtaken by fear and the sheer smell, Silver yells out, “It's an evil wild man!” “No!” Shouts Iron Mountain. “Begin your prostration and show complete reverence for you are in the presence of the holy forest guardian.”

The creature approaches and stands there for a few seconds while the men bow in silence. The wild man then approaches the men, takes the offerings of food and proceeds to walk about the men seemingly disturbed and eating the raw deer leg while vocalizing with a human-like voice in a strange dialect sounding similar to a far eastern language. Chi after hearing the wild man speak, immediately looked over to him in surprised amazement. Speaking in a foreign language, Chi replies to the wild man by asking if he can understand him. The wild man smiles and then proceeds to vocalize more language with Chi seemingly nodding and understanding in agreement. It appears they can understand each other. Iron Mountain then speaks broken words to the group, appearing to understand the language being spoken back and forth. In amazement they all let out a chuckle. Then they all share words…look over at Silver and laugh. Chi shows the creature that Silver is weak and not so intelligent in a mock display.

“You can speak its language?” Silver asks Chi. “No! Chi replies. It is speaking mine! A dialect similar to one I have studied. An ancient Mandarin language native to a Northern China dialect. What he's saying shares similar words and I can interpret some of what he says, not all. We all share the same ancestor.” Chi explains. “The evil wild men…They think there is no good or evil, just surviving nature which is very harsh and unsympathetic. They show no control over will and act according to their instinct which has been corrupted by the negative forces of nature. This form of thinking lies dormant in all of man and it is our primal instinct that we use for survival. It lacks the proper function of rational thinking with compassion and understanding. They can only understand you as a threat to the imbalance of the universal Puha energy. Therefore, when they find you, they will cannibalize you to intake your essence in a vague attempt to restore balance to Puha. If you do not fix the disorder, this holy wildman will personally feed you to the evil wild men of the forest as a sacrifice for restoring balance. So, it is a must that we reseal the entrance to the underworld and defeat this demon who was sealed within its confines.”

“Tell him I'm sorry and that I’ll do as he says. Chi, tell him that you will see me through it.” Silver explains. He then tries to tell the wild man that he is sorry. The wild man looks over at Chi and Chi tries to explain what Silver is saying. After hearing, the wild man vocalizes some words to Chi and then slowly walks over to Silver and quickly grabs him in a bear hug. Silver is overwhelmed with the putrid stench of the animal covered in thick coarse matted hair that is caked in muddy knots and what looks like feces. The animal then squeezes Silver with the intention to show him that he could break his back if it really wanted to and then releases Silver for him to fall on the ground. Silver begins to cough and vomit from the overwhelming stench now reeking on his clothing. Then as mysterious as the creature emerged from the shrubbery, it took its exit in the same way.

With the forest guardians now appeased, the men make their way to a stream so Silver can wash his clothes and bathe. The forest guardian assured Chi and Iron Mountain that they would help ward off the evil wild men of the forest who may try to stop their efforts of resealing the entrance and vanquishing the demon king. At camp the men settle for the night around the campfire and Iron Mountain explains his effort to find Silver over the past nine months in a vague attempt. Silver then explains to Iron Mountain the details of what occurred over the past nine months including the emergence of the demon king, the opening to the underworld, and Silver becoming a disciple of Chi. Iron Mountain agrees to help the men on their mission to restore balance and suggests they speak to his elder shaman who originally informed him of the entrance to the underworld.

“The entrance to the underworld called Sipapu is long believed to be where humans beings have originally emerged from a different world. Many otherworldly energies inhabit this inner Earth and long ago that entrance was sealed to keep out the beings of the underworld so that humans can dominate the Earth in this present age. We must seek the advice of the elder medicine man who initiated me into my warrior path for he has knowledge of the Sipapu.” Iron Mountain explains. He looks over at Silver with a long pause and an expression of disappointment. Silver tries to talk but before he can speak, Iron Mountain cuts him off and says, “I warned you about that silver mine but your selfish greed.” Silver interjects with, “How could I seriously know it would be an entrance to Hell and I would unleash the Goddamn Devil Iron Mountain? I'm sorry buddy. You are so superstitious with your stories that…I just don't know what to believe. I'm on the right path now. Chi has accepted me as his disciple and he is teaching me the way. I'm not much the same person anymore I suppose and I'm gonna fix this or I'm gonna die trying. There's just no other way around it!”

The three men rest for the night. Silver is sleeping wrapped in Navajo as blankets inside his small pop up tent pitched in front of the still burning dimly lit campfire. He can be heard moaning as if he is having a nightmare when suddenly the campfire completely goes out by a small gust of wind just like a candle being blown out. This small shift in energy woke Iron Mountain and Chi. Still asleep, Silver seems to be caught in a web of paralysis and in a state of being half asleep and half awake. A dark presence looms over him and fear fills his heart again as he tries to get up out of his tent but cannot. He feels pressure on his chest like he can't breathe and suddenly glowing red eyes appear in front of him. He tries to use the mantra but cannot speak because his lungs are out of air and not allowing him to call for help. A small exploding flash sparks the fire back up and a huge black shadowy figure can be seen looming over Silver's tent. On the far end of the tent, Iron Mountain can be seen holding a small silver mirror reflecting light off of the campfire while Chi observes the mirror from the other end of the tent ringing a small silver bell and reciting a mantra. This technique allows the shadow figure to be seen with an aura that is a bright red hue in the silver mirror.

In a quick snap, Chi flings a shining metal spear tip blade with talismanic silver inlay forged in the center that is attached to a rope extending all the way underneath the sleeve of his monk robe but also wrapped around his wrist. The blade tip strikes directly at the shadowy figure but the figure moves and barely dodges the attack. Chi then retracts the rope dart back towards him only to kick at it and redirect it back into the path of the shadow figure in a striking dart. Just as the blade is about to strike the shadowy figure, the shadow dissolves into nothingness along with its bright red eyes dissipating into thin air as the blade passes through where a black shadowy figure once was.

Silver tries to force himself to get up only to find that he is stuck underneath a collapsed tent and seemingly can't find his way out. Yelling for help Silver screams, “Help the demons got me in some kind of net!” The two men lift Silver up and out of his disheveled mess. “It was that demon I felt before, he's in my dreams!” Iron Mountain interrupts Silver and says, “The skinwalker has found you! This powerful sorcerer traverses the astral realm where it can easily locate you by your Puha energy force. Now that it has acquired your location from the ethereal realm, it is only a matter of time before it will greet you in this physical. We must take turns at watch and keep vigilant the sacred silver mirror so that we may see energy approaching by its aura. When morning comes and we are well rested, I will take on the obligation of hunting down and killing the skinwalker so that you can collect your silver weapons and valuables needed to defeat the demonic serpent king and reseal the entrance to the underworld.

Chi makes an encirclement around the campsite using amulet paper known as ‘fulu’ to write talismanic script intention spells as a source of deterrent for evil spirits so that they cannot enter their zone of safety. He hangs silver talismans and blesses each angle of the campsite with mantras for protection and the men continue to get rest until sunrise. With the rising of the sun, the men have little time to waste. They pack up their campsite and continue to lay out a plan of meeting up in Yuma. Iron Mountain bids Silver and Chi a farewell and then runs off into the forest at a slow tracking pace with the mission to hunt down and kill the skinwalker. Silver and Chi continue onward their mission to Yuma. The two make their way and travel about a half a day's distance until they arrive at their next destination, The Traveler's Tavern Inn. There, they decided they would post up and stay for the night to get rest, some cooked food, and any sort of entertainment that they may provide as the two men have not seen anything but desert and stars for the past 9 months. As the two men approach The Traveler’s Tavern Inn for what they think is well deserved rest, they could have no idea exactly what they were "in" for.