53 Who's Laughing Now?

Fontaine said it loud enough that even the guests who were seated on the sofas in the lounge area could hear. Some of the elven guests were laughing too.

The world did not lack this sort of people, Vyrena remembered that lesson. As they say, a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye. One day, she would return the insult in full with interest paid.

Vyrena completely ignored Fontaine's remark and asked Rosie, "I'll take the suite please."

Rosie was embarrassed by Fontaine's behaviour, but she did not let that stop her from serving Vyrena. Vyrena paid for her stay on the spot, and not on credit. Fontaine saw that but did not say anything.

Once all the other paperwork were completed, Rosie handed Vyrena her room key and personally brought her up to her room. When they entered the lift and the door closed on them, Rosie let out a breath of air.

"I am terribly sorry for my colleague's behaviour, Miss Blackfire. She…"

"She's a bully," Vyrena finished Rosie's sentence for her.

Vyrena's swift response caught Rosie off guard. She was flustered and did not know how to react. Vyrena smiled and reassured her that it was alright.

"It must be difficult for you, working here," Vyrena empathise.

They reached the 16th floor and went out of the lift and took a left turn.

Rosie replied to her, "It's not the easiest in the world, but I enjoy it."

Vy admired her perseverance. Few people would let such judgement slide and work harder. The world needed more hard-working people like Rosie. Soon, they reached Vy's room and once she was all settled, Rosie wished her a pleasant stay and went away. Vy thanked her and gave her a tip, a silver coin.

Rosie was shocked, she immediately attempted to return the money to Vyrena, "Miss Blackfire, I cannot accept this! It's too much!"

"Once it is given, I am not taking it back! Also, you can call me Vyrena."

"Miss Blackfire, I mean Miss Vyrena…"

"Just Vyrena will do," Vy replied.

"Vyrena…"

Vy stopped Rosie before she could say anymore, she said, "Just take it as a gift, from a human to another. Okay?"

Rosie knew she could not win this fight. She agreed and thanked Vy for the tip.

Later that night, Vy took a long much-needed bath in the bathtub. The warm water and fragrant oils helped her body to relax. All the travelling and fatigue washed away slowly as she relaxed in the tub. The steam from the water made the entire room rather misty.

-If only there was a little music, but I guess one cannot be that greedy.-

After her bath, she dried herself off, changed into a nightdress and climbed into the king-sized bed. The firm mattress was so comfortable, that Vy did not feel like she was ever going to leave! She could feel the bed mounding to the shape of her back. Not to forget the soft feather-filled pillows.

"It's only when you experience the hardships in life, that you appreciate the little things," Vy said to herself.

It was at this point that she realised since she had come to this world, she had never slept on such a comfortable bed. Yet this luxury did not feel foreign to her. Did she have such experiences in her previous life? As Vy continued to ponder over these questions, she drifted off into sleep.

She had finally succumbed to her fatigue.

~

The next morning, Vy woke up just as the sun began to rise. Her usual early morning routines had grown on her. The comfortable bed had recharged her energy and she was ready to move. She decided to take the opportunity to practice her transformation magic.

Vy had already fully mastered her wolf form, so it was time to master her other abilities.

-Dotty, you mentioned that other than land, I am also able to transform into a sea and sky creature, right?-

Dotty showed Vy a skill map of transformation magic which confirmed her words.

\u003cYes Vy, that is correct. As you continue to practice, you might even be able to enhance your forms as well! But for now, I recommend unlocking your Sea and Sky animal form.\u003e

Vy took Dotty's advice and decided to focus on her Sky animal form. She sat cross-legged on the bed. Taking in a deep breath, she began to imagine herself in the sky. The sky was blue and filled with beautiful white clouds. Vy felt as if she was weightless, soaring through the endless sky. Beneath her, she could see the countless forests and towns scattered across the lands.

In the distance, she could see a green pastured hill and at the very top, was a blackened barren tree. At first glance, Vy thought that all the leaves of the tree were black in colour. But as she got closer, she realised that it was birds. A huge flock of birds had perched on the barren tree and made it their home. But as Vy flew closer to it, all of the birds began to scatter.

Many of the birds flew in all different directions, some flying by Vy too; all except one. There was one lone black-feathered bird perched on a tree branch. It's dark coloured eyes were locked in with Vy's eyes. As she came closer, the bird did not flinch.

It was curious about Vy.

She was curious about it too.

The bird black in colour, from the tip of its black to the nail on its talons. Vy had gotten so close, that she was only inches apart, from the bird. Vy put her right hand out and the bird instinctively perched on to her hand. She winced a little as it gripped its sharp talons tightly into her skin.

In her left hand, she had a small pile of seeds which instantly piqued the interest of the bird. It quickly started to peck at the seeds in her hand. Once it had its fill, the bird squared three times and flew onto Vy's right shoulder.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the room, with Dotty circling around her in excitement.

\u003cCongratulations, Vy! You have successfully mastered your Sky form! The form of a raven!\u003e