As the plane landed, Logan thought over his meeting with Master Sigurd before they left Los Angeles. He wasn’t too proud to know that he was wasted in being kept at headquarters for any reason. He was a field agent and that was his purpose. So, when Master Sigurd revealed to him the true reason for his uncertain situation he understood.

  **********************

  After Miyuki and Sarah had left the room, Master Sigurd collapsed into his chair in clear exhaustion. Normally he would never show such weakness even to Logan. The man had the pride of a dragon and made sure he never gave his opponents ammunition.

  With his head still leaned back over his chair, Master Sigurd groaned, “I’m feeling older every year.” Logan chose not to comment.

  With a sigh Master Sigurd sat forward and placed his elbows on his desk. It was almost a minute before he spoke.

  “Logan, I’m sorry for the result of all this.” Logan was going to ask a question but stopped at Master Sigurd’s raised hand. “I am going to be honest with you. Even though I wasn’t the one to propose your punishment, we can thank the fox for that, I only put up a token fight against it.”

  Logan immediately felt nervous. “And what would that be?”

  “Effective immediately, the Council has ordered for you to be removed from active duty and placed on standby at HQ until further notice. So you won’t be wasted, you’ll be assisting in the Hunter-class training program.”

  Logan was shocked at the pronouncement. He might as well have been demoted to a Support-class. He was a field agent, not some babysitter.

  His mind spun at the implications. “Sir, you let them do this?”

  “Yes, but it was for a good reason.”

  Master Sigurd closed his eyes as if forcing himself to continue. “What I’m about to tell you is of the utmost secrecy. So far, you are the only one I’ve told this to.” He looked directly into Logan’s eyes. He felt the near overwhelming power his master put into that gaze. His wolf flinched back as his master’s dragon stirred.

  “I believe that there is a traitor amongst the leading powers.”

  Logan frowned, his suspicions confirmed.

  Master Sigurd sat back. “I see you’ve come to the same conclusion. What you don’t know is that you aren’t the only one to run into trouble over the last few months. There have been multiple instances of interference on missions by crusaders. As far as we know, you have been the only one to encounter these stealth amulets or anti-being bullets.”

  Logan clenched his jaw at the new information. He wasn’t ignorant enough to think that there has never been any traitors. Beings felt pride, greed, and envy like any human so it is almost expected for traitors to appear every now and then. But this was different.

  Those bugs had always been in lower to mid-level positions, never one with true responsibility. Those given such power amongst the being communities were first and foremost dedicated to their people and supernatural community as a whole. Those who are only in their positions for personal power or for other selfish reasons are quickly weeded out through a multitude of means, both magical and mundane, until only those who strive for their people are left.

  Whenever someone slipped through the cracks or turned selfish while in power, they were either removed by the locals or the Keepers were called in to clean up. That was rarely done because when Logan said cleaning up, he meant it. From leaf to root the corruption is excised with everyone involved pulled up along the way.

  Logan started mentally compiling everything he’d learned. “Any suspicions?”

  “I suspect it to be one of the minor representatives or some major community leader. I just don’t know for sure.”

  Logan came to a realization. “You want me to stay in HQ and look for the traitor.”

  Master Sigurd smiled. “Almost. There are few amongst my ranks that I trust as much as you.” Logan quickly suppressed his feeling of pride and returned his focus to the situation. “I know that you are loyal to us and are dedicated to our cause. For now, I just want you to keep your eyes and ears open for anything strange. I don’t want you to actually start investigating anything in case they are alerted and scatter. I need you to be available to respond to anything that may occur.”

  Logan fell into thought. He started to go over his espionage and counter-intelligence training. As he gathered his experiences, he put together a basic strategy.

  Logan stroked his chin. “Could it be councilor Kuzunoha? She was acting weird over my previous missions.”

  Master Sigurd sighed before answering. “I can assure you it wasn’t for that reason. I’ve known her since she was a child and out of all the councilors I may trust her the most. Trust me when I say it isn’t her.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “That’s all I can tell you at this time. Now, I believe you have a plane to catch.”

  Logan then left the office and returned to Sarah and Miyuki.

  *********************************

  He was pulled out of his musings by Sarah. “Uh, are we getting out?” she asked while holding her blessed sword in her lap.

  He shook himself back into the present. “Yeah, we still have to wait for the cargo to be unloaded first but, we’re here.”

  He stood and stretched from his overused seat that he spent almost 8 hours in over the course of the flight. If he didn’t have his natural regeneration, he would be feeling the trip for days. As he collected his bag, he noticed how nervous Sarah was. He wouldn’t lie to himself and say that he wasn’t worried for her either. There are subtleties among the beings that databases and instructions were simply unable to cover.

  “Sarah, take a breath,” he said.

  She looked at him before nodding and taking a shaking breath.

  “Now, when we get off, we’ll probably be taking you to the main building to get you processed.”

  Sarah looked confused, “processed? Like paperwork?”

  Miyuki laughed, “yeah, you’d think we’d be all magical, but the efficiency of human methods and technology usually still wins.”

  “Don’t let the gnomes here you say that,” Logan chuckled.

  “Gnomes?” Sarah asked.

  Miyuki started collecting her own supplies. “Yup. Some of our best alchemists and researchers are gnomes. It's something to do with their small bodies forming a culture forcing them to rely on their brains. Over the last few years, human technology’s rapid advancement has been driving them nuts. As soon as they invented some advanced magi-tech, the humans had beaten them to it. Sure, they’ve been able to do stuff human technology just can’t, but it is funny seeing them so stressed out.”

  “And get drunk whenever a tech show presents something they’ve been working on and go all sad.” He added as he remembered the time he went to a being bar filled with diminutive men and women completely wasted after the touchscreen premiered.

  “Anyway, after processing we’ll get your assignment and where you’ll be staying.”

  It took at least a half hour for the cargo to be unloaded enough for them to be allowed off. As they stepped, on the other side of the runway, an emerald valley laid before them. The stretch of green rolling grass was large enough to hold a large town. Ringing the oval valley and occasionally placed among the green sea was a mix of modern and ancient buildings. Few structures looked like they came from the same culture let alone age.

  To their left was a small lake surrounded by a strange conglomeration of different forests. The lake’s shore was clearly separated into quarters with each quarter’s forest looking as if they were plucked from different continents, none of which should fit together or survive in their current environment. Surrounding the valley stood towering mountains that separated the small slice of paradise from the rest of the world.

  To their right was a sprawling structure that, like the forests, was an amalgamation of multiple architectural styles. It was over five stories tall and was hundreds of meters across. The building was situated against a mountain face with additional structures hidden deep in the rock.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  The building appeared to be the same age as the temple they found Sarah in if not older. Unlike the crumbling ruins, the structure was well kept and equipped with multiple satellite dishes and radio towers. The most eye-catching piece was a truly monumental sitting Buddha statue carved into the mountain face to the building’s right. It was at least 75 meters tall and depicted Shakyamuni Buddha. Because of the statue the main building has the unofficial designation of “The Temple.”

  “Where are we?” Sarah asked, completely dumbfounded.

  Miyuki took a few steps forward and turned to them with a quick bow a European butler would call admirable. “Welcome to the forgotten beyul, the being Shambhala, or as we usually call it, headquarters.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened at Miyuki’s description.

  He had much the same reaction the first time he had seen the breathtaking views. Though, for him it was a multiple month long expedition through frozen mountains and layer upon layer of magical wards and traps to keep out anyone not expressly invited. Only with the invention of commercial air travel did the symbolic location turn practical while allowing a safe and central location for both operations and organization.

  As Miyuki had stated, they were in a beyul. In Buddhist mythology, a beyul is a haven for refugees and a blessed sanctuary for those who need it. While multiple beyul actually exist, the Shambhala is a spiritual kingdom supposedly ruled by the future Buddha in which he’ll lead an army from at the end of the world, which isn’t entirely inaccurate. While missing a Buddha to lead them, the amount of firepower the beings currently residing there could decimate many human armies in short order.

  Logan saw Sarah look as if she was going to ask another question before sighing and seeming to give in to the surrealism of her situation.

  They were all silently taking in the view when someone called out to them. The being trying to get their attention was quite the intimidating sight. They were at least seven feet tall, had massive muscles, deep red skin was waving at them, a wide face with thick lips hiding the bases of two upward facing tusks and two golden horns rising from his temples. The man was an Oni that Logan easily recognized. He had more wrinkles than the last time they met but Kujo was as fit as ever. He had heard the large man was promoted to the head of all the training programs.

  By the time they reached the bottom of the mobile stairs attached to their transport, he was waiting for them in a casual stance.

  “Greetings Logan and friends,” he said in a deep timbre.

  Logan smiled, “Greeting Kujo. You’ve aged since I’ve seen you.”

  “You cursed are lucky not to worry about time. Do you know how annoying it is to have your bones ache?” he replied while rolling his eyes.

  Logan waved him off. “Don’t act like you don’t use your mature look to get ahead. Anyway, are you here to collect us?”

  Kujo’s levity fell. “I’m here to give you your assignments and collect her,” he indicated to Sarah.

  Logan frowned, “why are you collecting her? Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice seeing you again. But, wouldn’t an assistant or something be enough?”

  “I’m here because she isn’t just entering the beginner program but Hunter training as well.” Kujo said reluctantly.

  Both Logan and Miyuki were shocked. “What the hell?” Miyuki asked, “there’s no way she’s ready for that.”

  Instead of adding his opinion Logan began to think. How could they expect someone who hasn’t been a being for more than a few days to endure, let alone survive, Hunter-class training? Maybe she was being assigned since he was already here, and they expected him to help. But why start with Hunter-class instead of Guardian or Scout? Very rarely did beings start as Hunters instead of starting as one of the other classes and qualifying for transfer.

  It was like a soldier entering special forces training while also going through basic. Sure, it was possible but the likelihood of it being accepted or successful was minimal. Again, something was going on that he couldn’t see.

  “What’d I miss?” Sarah asked.

  Miyuki crossed her arms, “what’s going on is that you’re about to be thrown into one of the most extreme combat training programs in our organization while simultaneously learning what you are. So, congrats.” The way Miyuki explained Sarah’s situation was so casual it took Sarah a few seconds to catch up. Logan knew that Miyuki’s method was covering up her own concern.

  Sarah’s eyes widened and whirled on Logan, “what the hell!?” she demanded, “what does she mean combat!? I’m not a soldier, I’ve never even been in a fight!”

  Logan distracted himself long enough to answer her. “This is out of our hands. I will do my best to help you, but I won’t lie. This will probably be the hardest thing you’ll ever do.”

  Sarah grit her teeth, “don’t I have a say in this? Why do you guys keep making all the decisions for me?” She turned to Kujo, “and you.” He didn’t react to the shift in target. “Who are you anyway? Other than some snaggle-toothed sun-burnt Neanderthal.” Instead of getting angry Kujo started laughing. Sarah raged and took a step forward.

  Before she could do anything, he raised his hands placatingly. “I have to admit, I haven’t been insulted like that in a while. My name is Kunitaka Kujo, and I’m in charge of all the training programs here. We aren’t stupid or cold hearted enough to throw you in blind. We’ll be starting you slowly in the basic lessons and training before moving you up. It’s going to be difficult, but not as deadly if you were truly doing both programs simultaneously.” He pointedly looked at Miyuki as he said this. “Now I need you to follow me so we can get you settled.”

  She hesitated before glancing at Logan. After he nodded and motioned for her to go with Kujo, the two of them left for a nearby car. They then drove off with her still clutching her sword. Logan started to worry for Sarah. She wasn’t a fighter, and her beast should be limited in its ability to help that. Although concerned, he stopped himself from over-thinking. Kujo and his program was specifically designed for such a situation and has been going through refinement for years. After forcefully putting Sarah out of his mind he refocused on his assignment.

  “Now that she’s gone,” Miyuki said, pulling him from his thoughts, “shall we get comfortable ourselves?”

  Already noticing the looks from the workers unloading the shipment he grunted. “Yea, let’s go.”

  After that they hitched a ride with the first load of equipment to the main building. It was cramped with cargo, but it was nice to not be isolated in the plane. The fresh air moving through the truck's opening gave them a refreshed feeling as the pure air and ambient mana flowed over them.

  When they were dropped off at the Temple, Logan had to steel himself for his immediate future. He hated teaching people and cadets were often the worst, he would know. The Temple’s interior was as well crafted and well-maintained as the exterior. The stone floors were solid and smooth while the walls depicted numerous religious and mythological iconographies. Although it was the majority, there wasn’t just Buddhist symbolism. Among the carvings were iconographies from around the world. Some examples would be a depiction of the Egyptian god Osirus next to the Mesopotamian myth of Gilgamesh or the carving of a four-armed Asura at war next to the Polynesian god Maui fishing islands from the sea.

  Opposite to most people’s expectations, the entrance room was unusually small and outfitted with a large reception desk complete with a woman typing away at a computer. She was clearly an elf, complete with human-like features, pale skin, slightly pointed ears, and an ethereal nature that can only be recognized but cannot be properly described. She looked up from her screen at their approach.

  “Ah, Mr. Alexander,” she said with a slight smile and in a perfect receptionist voice, “we’ve already been notified of your reassignment, and I have been instructed to give this to you upon arrival.” She then picked up a folder from the desk and held it out to him. With a grimace Logan took the folder.

  “And here is a new assignment for Young Miss Kuzunoha.” She retrieved and held out a second folder for Miyuki to take. With a matching grimace she took it. She never enjoyed being called “young miss” since it always connected her to her mother.

  “Please follow the instructions and have a nice day.” At that she returned to her typing.

  Logan had to prepare himself before opening the folder. He knew that Master Sigurd told him of his demotion, but this is physical proof. Without stalling, he opened the paper folder and read the contents. Just as he was told, his suspension of activity and his participation in the training program. He still had his personal quarters, though that could be put in jeopardy when the rankings were reassessed in a few months.

  As he was reading, he felt someone approach him from behind. He turned and saw a woman he immediately recognized. She was tall, just a little shorter than him, had olive-tanned skin, a heavily toned body, a long braid hanging down her back, and facial features that would be better described as handsome than beautiful. She was obviously a warrior from her looks and posture, and the feeling was completed by the gray support-class uniform she was wearing. She was Amara Liakos, beast-cursed by one of the gorgon sisters and in charge of the Hunter-class training program. That also meant she was his new boss until further notice.

  “Logan, what are you doing here?” She asked in her always brisk tone. He was pretty sure she had been a military trainer for so long she didn’t know any other way to speak.

  Just hearing her voice reminded him of the severe exercises she put him through when he was under her care. He closed the folder before answering. “I have been removed from active service and have been assigned as a ‘guest instructor’ under your command.”

  Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You’ve been what?”

  “Demoted, apparently,” Miyuki answered, still reading her own orders. “There was a big mess, and we were dropped into it.” She looked up, “we were caught in the literal crossfire on a mission, and he took the brunt of it,” she closed the folder and clearly had to suppress the urge to burn it to ash.

  “Though I haven’t exactly gotten out of it scot-free either. Fortunately, that’s future Miyuki’s problem.”

  “I got to go, are you going to be okay?” she asked him sincerely.

  He grimaced but nodded, “yea, I’ll get through it.”

  After hesitating a moment, Miyuki turned and walked down one of the side halls out of sight. Logan sighed as he thought about his near future. He knew he was demoted because of his master’s plan, but it still hurt. All the years he put into getting stronger and advancing, and it collapsed.

  Amara rolled her eyes and slugged his shoulder. Her curse’s massively increased speed prevented him from responding to the attack. The force from the blow was more surprising than it was painful, though still enough to have put a regular human on the floor. He looked at her confused.

  “Hey,” she said sternly, “buck up. I didn’t train you to be such a pathetic pup.” Logan was going to respond before being cut off. “This is a set-back. Gods forbid the golden road of Logan’s journey has a bend in it. Get over yourself and take your punishment on the chin and learn from it. If I ever see you all mopey, I’ll personally shave every hair off your body and cover you in the spiciest hot sauce I can find.”

  Logan shuddered at the mental image. Her encouragement was helpful, if more visceral than he would have preferred. “Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” he smiled while reminding himself that there was more going on than just his mess up. He took a deep breath to focus, “if you’d excuse me, I have some stuff to do.”

  She smiled back, “I’ll see you later.”