When World's Collide (Oc)

Chapter 7: Unauthorized Adventure

Krista had learned many things since arriving in this strange world. She'd learned that magic was real and unpredictable. She'd learned that guild halls could survive daily property damage that would bankrupt any normal establishment. She'd learned that Natsu's idea of "helping" usually involved setting something on fire.

What she apparently hadn't learned was how to say no to MK's weaponized puppy-dog eyes.

"Please, Kristy? It'll be fun! Just a simple mission, in and out, nobody even has to know we left!"

She stared at the quest flyer he was waving enthusiastically in her face, then at the eager expressions of MK, Mei, and Red Son gathered conspiratorially around her in the early morning quiet of the Fairy Tail guild hall. Pale dawn light filtered through the high windows, illuminating the destruction from last night's celebration—overturned tables, scorch marks on the ceiling, and what appeared to be someone's boot embedded in the wall. Most of the guild members were still sleeping off the festivities, sprawled across benches and floors in various states of unconscious contentment.

Something about Natsu accidentally setting fire to the guild's ceremonial banner had apparently been cause for drinking and dancing until the sun threatened to rise. Krista still didn't fully understand Fairy Tail's logic.

"MK, we can't just take a quest without permission," Krista said, trying desperately to be the voice of reason even as that voice grew increasingly weak under their combined hopeful stares. "We're not actually official members of Fairy Tail. We don't have authorization to just grab jobs off the request board and—"

"Technically, Master Makarov declared us honorary members," Mei interjected with a grin that suggested she'd been saving this argument. "So really, we're just exercising our legitimate honorary member privileges!"

"That is absolutely not how that works," Krista protested, but she could feel her resolve crumbling like a sandcastle against an incoming tide.

"Come on, Stone Girl," Red Son said, his arms crossed but his pinkish-red eyes unusually eager beneath his attempt at dignified indifference. "It's merely a simple retrieval quest. Some merchant lost a family heirloom in a location called the Whispering Woods. We locate the item, return it to its owner, collect the monetary reward. Basic logistics."

"The Whispering Woods?" Krista repeated, recognition flickering in her mind from one of the folklore books she'd been devouring. "Isn't that place supposed to be haunted?"

"Only mildly haunted," MK said with the kind of breezy optimism that usually preceded spectacular disaster. "Besides, we've dealt with way worse! Lady Bone Demon, remember? Ancient cosmic evil, world-ending threat, all that fun stuff? Compared to that, some spooky trees are basically nothing!"

Krista looked at the quest flyer more carefully, her anxiety spiking as she read the vague details. The paper was slightly yellowed, the writing a bit smudged. *Family heirloom lost in Whispering Woods. Retrieval urgent. Meet at merchant's shop in Cherrytown for details. Reward: 30,000 jewels.*

"Why hasn't anyone else taken this quest?" she asked suspiciously, her finger tracing the date stamp. "According to this, it's been posted on the board for three days. That's unusual for any job with a decent reward."

The three exchanged quick glances that immediately amplified Krista's nervousness.

"Okay, so maybe there's a tiny reputation issue with the woods," Mei admitted, her usual confidence faltering slightly. "Apparently several professional mages have gone in and come out claiming they heard voices that weren't actually there. But nothing dangerous! Just... weird."

"Define 'weird,'" Krista said flatly, crossing her arms.

"The voices allegedly reveal uncomfortable truths or expose hidden fears," Red Son explained with a dismissive wave that didn't quite mask his own curiosity. "Basic psychological manipulation, nothing more. Hardly a legitimate threat to someone of my superior caliber and mental fortitude."