Preparations, part 2
Captain Black sighed as he stared at the vidphone. This was not a conversation he was looking forward to. He was going to have to tell the higher ups that the Dark Hand was dealing with demons, and request help in dealing with it...and there were protocols in place he didn't know about. The dispatch of combat magi when the Dark Hand Enforcers had used Talisman power made it plain that government agencies now had a means of dealing with magic, which meant there were protocols for it...and he was going to have to bluff his way through it. Finally, he reached out and clicked the link.
As usual, his superior appeared on the screen almost immediately. "Yes, Captain?"
"Sir, I need to requisition additional backup," Augustus explained. "It appears the Dark Hand have dealings with...demons." Despite knowing the world was different, he still braced himself for derision if not dismissal.
"Which ones?" his superior asked. "What ranking?"
Captain Black blinked. That was not the response he had expected. Now the bluffing came in. "I'm afraid the information I have available is...incomplete in that regard. I-"
"Do you have a name?" his superior asked. "For the demon they have dealings with?"
"Only one at the moment," Captain Black replied. "Shendu."
To Augustus' surprise, his superior pulled back...afraid. "This is above my pay grade," he stated simply. "This is against all sorts of protocol, but you are the lead agent in all Dark Hand matters. You know Valmont and his operations better than anyone...however much that is or isn't saying. I'm patching you through to the Veil Liaison Officer for North America." The signal went to static.
"Uh...what?" Captain Black asked in confusion. This was not going at all how he expected it to.
After a time, the screen cleared...and a young man who couldn't be more than 19 was shown. He had Asian features, black hair with green tips, and was wearing a red jacket. "Long, here. What's the situation?"
"...I have no idea anymore..." Captain Black whimpered, totally lost.
The young man looked at Captain Black for a time. "...you're in way over your head, aren't you?" he asked consolingly.
"So far," Captain Black confirmed. "The man I was reporting to said it was above his pay grade. I mean...Veil Liaison? What's that about?"
The young man - Mr. Long, presumably - shook his head in wonder. "Fully Mundane," he murmured in amazement. "How'd you get dragged into all this?"
"My friend Jackie Chan's Uncle is apparently a Chi Wizard-"
"Oh, Uncle!" Long responded warmly, glancing at a file. "1st Class Chi Wizard, Class 4 Magi, more medals and awards than you have time to listen to. Yeah, that explains it." He closed the file, then crossed his arms. "Let me do some hand holding here. The whole world knows about magic. What it doesn't know is just how much magic there is, and how dangerous it can be. The Veil keeps things that way. Because of the Veil, anyone without magic can't see magical creatures unless they go out of their way to draw attention to themselves, and people like me-" He jerked a thumb at his chest. "-deal with those that breach the Veil. If they're good, we acclimate them for normal lives. If they're evil, we beat the crap out of them."
Captain Black nodded. "And I'm sure you're effective at such things," he replied, a tad condescendingly.
Long glared at him for a time, and for a brief moment his face became draconic.
"YAAUGH!" Captain Black screamed, shooting back from the phone.
"Geeze, I didn't mean to scare you that much!" Long joked. "Just let you know who you're dealing with. You don't make Liaison rank unless you're Class 5 or higher."
"Sorry," Augustus replied, making mental note about what was said about Class ratings. "The last dragon I encountered...well, his name is what put me in direct connection with you."
To Augustus' surprise, Long paled. "Shit. You're talking about Shendu. Class 3 Demon, last pureblood dragon native to this layer of reality. Yeah, I can see why you'd be nervous about dragons after that."
"Well, Shendu is a non-issue at this point," Augustus responded. "He's dead."
"WHAT?" Long demanded in shock. "What moron did that? Do you have any idea how long it took to achieve the perfect balance of magical Light and Dark forces in the world so that human civilization could progress as far as it has without being trampled by constant magical warfare?"
Captain Black gulped, terrified. "Uncle's unicorn did it!"
Long stared at him for a time. "Ugh...look, I'm gonna need to cut off. I need to contact Asia's Liaison and make sure extra security is put around the Pan'ku Box-"
"The Dark Hand has the Pan'ku Box," Captain Black interrupted, "and I'm pretty sure Valmont intends to free Shendu's siblings. That's what started this call in the first place."
"Okay, forget cutting the connection, we're going conference!" Long started tapping away at the console at his end as Black's screen divided in four. "Congrats, Captain. Just for being involved in this mess, you can expect at least three promotions just to get proper security clearance."
"I don't want promotions, I want to put Valmont behind bars!" Captain Black snapped back. Then he blinked. "Wait, at least?"
"Glad you're one of the good ones," Long joked. "Looks like we're through to Europe."
The second screen illuminated, revealing...a young redheaded British boy wearing a white robe and glasses, sipping from a cup of tea. To Augustus' dismay, he didn't look much older than 10, if that. "Oh, hello!" he spoke up in surprise. "What's this all about so early-"
"Springfield, we're going conference," Long interrupted. "I'm trying to get Asia but-"
"Oh, I was in call with Kinomoto," Springfield replied. "I was trying to arrange a field trip for my class. I'll connect the calls."
The third screen lit up, showing a young Japanese girl in a poofy red and white dress with brown hair and green eyes. "Hoe?" she squeaked out in surprise. "What's going on?"
The fourth screen illuminated, revealing an exceptionally voluptuous woman with yellow hair gradiating to green at the tips, one green eye and one yellow eye, and two horns growing out of either side of the head. "Ara, ara...you weren't going to leave me out now, were you little D-boy?" she purred towards Long's screen.
"I was trying to reach you, Lucoa-san," Long responded in a tone of long suffering. "Things are serious."
"Serious?" Springfield asked. "How so?"
"Shendu is dead, and the Pan'ku Box is in play," Long responded. "Captain Black here-"
"UUUEEEH?!" Kinomoto wailed out in surprise. "Ooh, I knew I never should have taken this job! I have enough trouble with Cards without messing with demons! I only took it for frequent easy travel because my boyfriend lives in China!"
"You think you have it bad?" Springfield snapped back. "I only took the job for the portal back to England so I didn't have to sleep in the school dorms anymore! It was hard enough teaching secondary education at an all girls boarding school before puberty kicked in!" Closing his eyes, he put his hands together and began to chant to reassure himself. "I am a British Gentleman, I am a British Gentleman..."
Lucoa-san giggled a trifle wickedly. "Young people are so energetic, aren't they?"
Long sighed. "Captain, the Veil Liaison Officers for Europe, Asia, and South America," he groaned softly. "And you wonder why I prefer to handle things solo."
"What about Africa? And Australia?" Black asked curiously.
"Africa prefers to handle its own magical issues, and does not deal with the rest of the world on those matters," Lucoa explained. "That...and the magic of Africa scares most mortals."
"And nobody would dare claim magical dominion of Australia," Long added. "That's...just a big no-no."
Captain Black groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Maybe I'd have been better off just working it off the books, and let Uncle and those fillies take care of it. They are stronger since they got their Cutie Marks..."
Lucoa perked up happily. "Oh, you didn't say ponies were involved!" she proclaimed happily. She turned to the other screens. "No worries, everyone! Situation is Shining Faust."
Springfield and Kinomoto both let out explosive breaths of relief. "We'll stay out of your way then," Springfield offered.
"If you need any local resource access when pursuing the Portals, let us know!" Kinomoto offered eagerly.
The call was cut.
Captain Black blinked in surprise. "The hell just happened?" he gasped out in confusion.
Valmont smiled as his mirror darkened, heralding Shendu's siblings returning with their decision. He was mildly surprised to see only Tso Lan's face reflected back at him. "We have decided to accept your offer," Tso Lan began swiftly. "We will abide by your terms, and take human form and hide until such time as combat with this world's defenders is viable. While there is not complete agreement on this point, it is the logical course of action. You also will not be held responsible for any of us who are banished back here who failed to heed your advice once you have freed us."
Valmont gave a half bow. "I am so glad we were able to come to such a mutually beneficial arrangement," he purred softly. "Do tell Bai Tsa to be ready for release soon. I expect to have her freed before the week is out."
Tso Lan raised an eyebrow. "Any particular reason you are releasing her first?"
"Several, both practical and personal," Valmont explained. "Her power seems most subtle and versatile as long as she has ready access to water...which is rather easy to come across. And once she's safely acclimated here in my operations, she'll be most helpful in slipping out to where each portal is without catching government attention." He smiled disarmingly. "Besides, can't a dashing crime lord believe in chivalry?"
"You make me sick," Shendu growled irritably.
"My torment spell is already altered, Shendu," Tso Lan pointed out dryly, making the dragon spirit silence itself. "For your 'ladies first' assertions, Valmont, I am afraid you must leave our sister Po Kong of Mountain until last. Due to her size, not only is her portal the most prominent...she is also the only one of us who cannot assume a human form."
Valmont nodded understandingly. "We'll keep that in mind-"
"So which one of these is the water lady's?" Ratso asked curiously, pointing at the symbols on the Pan'ku Box. "Cause, if you can tell me that, I can get this open on her setting."
"...the Lake trigram," Tso Lan explained. "Top to bottom, broken line, solid line, solid line."
Nodding, Ratso flipped the box around in his hands until that symbol was up. He then twisted the top level of the box a quarter turn, followed by the second level. He then twisted the right half 180 degrees, rotated the whole box 90 degrees, then rotated the right half 180 degrees again. The box floated out of his hands, rotated several pieces rapidly, and then projected a map onto the wall with a portal marking somewhere in Italy. A riddle speaking of 'battles' and 'lions' ran across the bottom of the projection.
Valmont grinned at Tso Lan. "Speed up the time table," he purred. "We'll be in Rome before the day is out."
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I know Jake Long! I miss that show.
I can only get the 2 more common... Kinomoto Sakura, heiress of the clown cards and the Am Drag Jake Long...
REMOVED THE FIRST COMMENT,TSB WAS FIRST...
Well Augie old chump old chap, you just got informed that your problems rate, in a scale of 1 to 10 a - 30282... So just chillax and let your resources do their jobs and all will be well...
Jake Long, Sakura Kimomoto,and Negi Springfield are the ones i can identify
Negi Springfield from Mahou Sensei Negima!
Kinomoto Sakura from cardcaptor Sakura
Lucoa from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid
And Jake Long from American Dragon Jake Long
American dragon Jake long, I think card captors, but no clue to the other two which has me craving new anime
8008215
Congrats. You get the bonus points!
I'm in the same boat as chibikingsai the only one I don't recognize is Lucao! Also poor Capt. Black with the world being immersed in magic he just can't catch a break!
Oh goodie we don't have to wait long for some Bai Tza/Valmont action, I can't wait.
I'm trying to remember how Uncle was able to locate the same portals the Dark Hand were looking for at the same time? Kinda makes you wonder what would happen if they were sent to one portal while the Dark Hand were at a different one?
Negi from Negima, Jake from American dragon, Lucoa from dragon maiden, and Sakura from cardcaptor.
Jake Long From American Dragon
Negi Springfield From Negima
Sakura Kinomoto From Cardcaptor Sakura
Lucoa From Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid?
8008220
8008226
Funny, the only one I actually recognized right offhand was Lucoa-san. (For those who don't know, it's short for Quetzalcoatl. Spoilered so those who want to be surprised, or go watch Ms. Kobayashi's Dragon Maid themselves, can be not spoiled.)
I probably should have recognized Negi and Sakura, though.
Edit: Here's a picture of Lucoa-san.
Wow... those are some heavy hitters Captain Black was talking to. Jake Long, Negi Springfield, Sakura Kinomoto, and the last one is from the dragon maid series I"m trying to avoid spoilers for since I want to watch it with a friend at some point so I know nothing about her. I do know she's a dragon and combined with Jake Long that makes me happy some dragons are on the good guys' side.
I can't wait to see more of the Bai Tsa/Valmont ship. I can't help but think after she sees them interact a bit, maybe while captured, Sweetie Belle might start giving Bai Tsa some advice on romance.
American Dragon Jake Long, Negi Springfield, Kinomoto Sakura and Lucoa-San...Jake Long, Negima?, Card Captors?, and Ms. Kobayashi's Maid Dragon characters. Locoa's the busty girl who seems dizty at times but is very intelligent and focused on particular things right?
Also what's the deal exactly with Africa and Australia magic? How is African magic scary and what can it do to cause fear in most mortals? Why is Australia's magical domain a big no-no? And how serious is that domain situation ranging from Kefka level bad to Chuthlu level to warrant not messing with nor claiming?
Oh dear god.
I wasn't expecting the Jake Long crossover, but it made sense after about ten seconds...then you dragged Negi, Sakura, and Lucoa into it...
LUCOA! My God. I was honestly NOT expecting THAT crossover here.
Well played...well played...
Poor Augustus...
As an Australian with a respect for aboriginal culture and mythology, this pleases me.
Australia houses the Destiny Scrolls and from what little I know about aboriginal mythology its really not that survivable unless you are a Badass Normal.
Okay, at least the panic level is now non existent.
Speaking for those who have NO idea on who the references are, I am with you on that Black.
First, Tatsurou's ability to throw together random shows and let them make sense together slowly starts to scare me. I mean Jackie Chan, MLP, three animes (including badass dragon girls) and the Disney TV-Universe.
Second, who else wants to see a huge battle against the demons, where all these characters join forces?
Well, pretty much everything living in Australia is poisonous / venomous and both willing and able to kill you... So personally I just assume the magic there is the same way.
I remember just enough from the show to recall Jade had some interesting disguises & it wasn't just mortals who were fooled.
Several, both practical and personal,"
1. Forgot your opening quotation mark.
Ratso seems to be able to turn any puzzle over quite easily it seems.
Don't worry Kinomoto, be like Reed and you'll be fine.
Poor Augustus has a Long way to go before he stop getting surprised.
Hey Negi, better make sure none of your pubescent feeling Leek out on the job.
8008248 Well, in the case of Australia, the Land Down Under applies Up To Eleven to Everything Trying To Kill You... and that's usually without magic being involved.
Tats, you get all my cookies for including Negi. That is hands down my favourite manga series. This is either before the School Festival Arc, or an original trip after. Hmm... either way, power house right there. Lucoa might know something the others don't though. Amusing XD I do see we are going with the 'You're either really young or really old to be a magic master' trope though
Jake, buddy, send Augustus the protocol and procedure book. He really needs it. I love Black's priorities though. Valmont first, demons only because Valmont dragged them in, then promotions.
8008336
He stated puberty had kicked in, which means he's 12 or 13.
So this is much later.
I know the first one is American Dragon Jake Long. Can't place the others, though.
8008339 Legit Powerhouses! Don't worry Negi, you are a British Gentleman.
They might need those legit power houses with your track record of making characters as dangerous and threatening as they should be. I mean, Valmont is scary competent. And assuming he can keep the demons from going full evil overlord the moment they emerge (I'm looking at you, Tso Lan. You too Tchang Zu) they might be able to get a few on the field at once...
Africa is filled with all sorts of wack stuff though. Best leave it to the local experts. That Shining Faust code hints a lot though. Not to mention that spirit they met way back in the earlier chapter...
Damn the human body need for sleep!
I know all four of those cameos I could have gotten to those bonus point damnit.
Anyway I'm curious if there are going to be other cameos like a certain lazy shaman or a demon fighting delinquent who works for toddler. How about two doctors who both deal with the mystical forces of the Universes.
8008254 also the fact that something very powerful is hidden there that would influence a territory of neutrality.
8008313
Prity mutch the only thing NOT trying to kill Australians is volcanoes, and that's because it's the only land mass in the world that doesn't have any.
If Negi thinks he has it bad then he should meet Shouta who has to live with Lucao and her twins.
Hell he should have Lucao tag along with the Chan team and they'll easily win with her distracting the Dark Hand. All she has to do is cheer them on with all her might. Just like how she helped Shouta in this week's episode.
Also a part of me was hoping for a DBZSGT cameo.
8008384 I would assume the reason trying to influence it is a no-no is Because Aboriginal Folklore is full of spirits, very powerful spirits, some benevolent, some malevolent, and often mischievous. To the aboriginals, everything is spirits or has spiritual origin, the land, the weather, the trees, the birds, even colour.
The cultures and religions of the indigenous Australians is one of the oldest in the world, and indisputably the oldest surviving culture today, with many powerful deities like the Rainbow serpent.
Its no wonder those of a supernatural bent wouldn't want to challenge that kind of history and environment.
I can hear Discord laughing in the background.
Ponies are involved? Then let's not worry.
I actually forgot about that 'Magic Problem' Captain Black originally had with the Government Agencies. They couldn't stand listening to him for more than 5 minutes.(all they could tolerate Black's 'insanity' for)
It's amazing how a small change can make a big difference. The 'small' part being that everyone knows that magic exists now. But everything else in the world is still pretty much the same.
I recognized Jake right off the bat, but after looking in the comments I'm glad to see Sakura involved too. Should make for some fun mini crossovers.
Valmont X Bai Tsa, full speed ahead! Let's see what happens.
...DAMNIT I WANT MORE DAMNIT!
Also
British: Negi Springfield from the Negima anime
American: Jake Long, American Dragon Jake Long
Asia: Kinomoto/Sakura Kinomoto/ Cardcaptor Sakura
I got no idea who the last one is which saddens me but regardless it is cool to see these other characters. Though I do hope this doesn't turn into a mass crossover as for the most part I like the small changes made with the characters more competent and some characters having more involvement.
After a quick google search to see who Lucoa is, I now wonder how you plan on tackling the season 3 episode "Aztec Rat Race"
8008533
MY CHILDHOOD!!! IT'S BACK!!! Oh my god, I keep forgetting how much I love this fic, but then you update and I remember and squee so hard at the end of each chapter!! Well done, well done on all counts!!
I'm kinda with the good captain on this one
OH. MY. GOD!
I instantly recognized Jake and Lucoa in the chapter. Took time for Sakura, and I sadly never read/watched Mahou Sensei Negima.
Poor Black's in over his head
8008311 yep
I still want a scene with Uncle and Grampa.
Ah. Lóng as in Chinese. Clever.
8008473 Everything is made (at least slightly) better with Ponies.
I'm to late to guess the cameos(even though Negi's the only one I know), but can I guess why they stay the fuck away from Australia?
Here's a hint, MannCo.
I am getting so lost...
I enjoy it, but I'm getting so lost.
Recognized Jake Long once Negi Springfield's "I'm a proper English gentleman" quote basically told me "these are references dummy!" (though the "all-girls dorm" part was the biggest clue), and of course Negi himself at the same time... I was EXTREMELY surprised to see Lucoa here since Maid Dragon is a LOT more slice-of-life than the others are... and I only JUST started watching it through Crunchyroll... actually thought it was probably something else before verifying it through comments. Card Captor would've been more tricky (being the one show I've never watched at all), but mentioning cards with her kind of gave it away.
Though now I'm wondering how many of them were around before the Normalcy Wave took effect... and worried about the world's stability regardless of the answer. Two multiverses intersecting happens all the time, more so when each are their own world... SIX is something else entirely, ESPECIALLY when they SHARE a world.
8008384 What exactly is this something that's hidden and very powerful anyway to justify leaving the magical field alone?
8008901 look to Jackie Chan Adventures canon. I won't say here.