Chapter 307: Dust, Dreams and Decisions
The place was exactly where Greg said it would be. It was a short distance away from the gym on an old dirt path, hidden behind some old trees.
The building itself looked tired, like it had been sleeping for years. Its wood siding was faded and weathered by time, with vines creeping up along one side and paint peeling from the shutters. A wide porch stretched across the front, the kind that might’ve once been filled with chairs and laughter. Now it just groaned beneath their feet as they stepped onto it.
Greg reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. "Doors might stick a little," he warned, fumbling through the set until he found the right one.
With a hard push and a loud creak, the front door swung open. A gust of dust and stale air greeted them.
The inside wasn’t bad. Just old. Worn carpets, faded wallpaper, and furniture covered with white sheets gave it the look of a forgotten vacation house. But there was potential. The hallway stretched far, with doors lining both sides. Eight rooms, just like Greg had said. Some were singles, some had bunk beds or doubles, and at the end of the hall was a shared bathroom on each floor.
"No one’s lived here since the gym owner passed," Greg said as he stepped inside and flicked on a light. It buzzed for a second before humming to life. "Power’s temperamental, but it works."
Lily peeked through a nearby door, inspecting one of the rooms. "This one’s huge."
"It’s got two beds," Luna noted from behind her. "We could double up like before."
Rachel appeared beside them, eyes gleaming with mock seriousness. "Room draft or room battle royale?"
"Draft," Leo answered before anyone could humor her.
"Boring," Rachel sighed, walking off to explore further.
Adam opened another door and whistled low. "This one has a window that opens. I call dibs on this."
"Too late," Leo said, peeking over his shoulder. "I just claimed it."
They locked eyes.
"Rock-paper-scissors?" Adam offered.
"Obviously."
While they argued, the rest of the group fanned out through the building. Penny was already pulling back curtains, checking how much sunlight each room got. Crystal and Aria opened windows to let the stale air out. Lily wandered into the kitchen and turned on the faucet, letting it run for a moment before nodding in approval. "Water’s clear."
Rachel returned from her search with a satisfied grin. "I found the laundry room. Washing machine’s old, but it works. Sort of."
Greg chuckled. "Told you. Not perfect. But it’s solid."
"It’s more than solid," Leo said, finally emerging victorious in his match against Adam. "It’s a fresh start."
Luna stood in the center of the hallway, arms crossed as she looked around with a thoughtful expression. "We’ll need to clean it top to bottom, maybe bring in fresh sheets, but this could actually work."
"Then I will make the call!" Lily cheerfully remarked
Greg tilted his head in confusion. "The call?"
"Yeah! I will call the guys who work for my dad and have them clean up the place while we log back into the game. We can’t waste any time, right?"
Greg was flabbergasted. He knew that Lily was a rich girl but this was next level. Just as Greg was reeling from this unforseen revelation, Adam and Leo returned, the former looking gloomy while the latter had the smuggness of someone who had just pulled off another victory.
"How...." Adam groaned in defeat. He had no idea how Leo coud have possibly beat him again in rock paper scissors.
"That makes it 4-0 me." Leo snickered mockingly as he patted Adam on the back, making Adam growl in frustration.
Adam scowled as Leo patted his back. "Four and zero? Seriously? That’s ridiculous."
Leo smirked. "Maybe you’re just unlucky."
Adam growled under his breath but said nothing. Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around the room. "So what’s next? Do we start moving stuff in now? Or wait for Lily’s team to do their thing?"
Lily bounced on the balls of her feet. "We wait a little, but not too long. The faster it gets cleaned, the faster we get a proper bed to crash on."
Greg shook his head, still a bit amazed. "You really have people who can clean this place on a moment’s notice?"
Lily gave a confident nod. "Yep. Dad’s got connections. They owe me favors."
Rachel leaned against a doorframe, folding her arms. "I don’t care how it gets cleaned. I just want to be able to lie down without hearing springs creak."
Penny’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Guys, don’t forget the loot we got from that quest. It’s supposed to be pretty good. I’m already thinking of all the materials and items we can use to make new gear and ’goodies.’ This could really boost what we can craft."
Luna nodded thoughtfully. "We should head back and see Seryn about our reward. He probably has the details and might even have some extra tasks or info for us."
Adam stretched his arms over his head. "Sounds like a plan. We can’t just sit around waiting for the place to get cleaned. Let’s get back in the game and see what’s next."
Greg smirked and started walking toward the door. "Alright, let’s go. After all this, a little progress in the game will feel like a win."
Leo cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, and maybe finally upgrade some gear with those rewards."
Crystal adjusted her bag. "I’m curious to see what kind of items and materials we got. Could be exactly what we need."
Aria smiled and looked around the tired old building one last time. "This place has potential. Just like us."
The group stepped back outside, the fresh air a welcome change from the dusty silence inside. They headed down the dirt path, their minds buzzing with plans for the new home and excitement about the quest rewards waiting for them in the game.
Rachel jogged ahead, calling back over her shoulder. "Race you to the gym!"
Penny laughed and tried to chase after her but tripped on a pebble and went careening into the dirt. She was fine aside from her wounded ego as Adam unabashedly laughed at her while the others tried to be more subtle about it.
Luna gave a small smile. "You know it finally feels like things are looking up for us."
Lily let out a groan as she facepalmed at Luna’s words. The sudden dramatic flair caused Luna to tilt her head in confusion, not sure why Lily was acting this way.
"You’ve gone and jinxed us Luna! Ugh!" Lily groaned
Luna’s eyes widened for a second before floating a wry smile "You’re exaggerating. It can’t be that bad."
"Goddamnit!"
Lily’s cry of frustration rang out. Her gut was telling her that trouble was now approaching on the horizon.
And she was right.