Limits.

I didn"t believe in those fairy tales . "A flower that can grant you immortality? Bah, of course it is some kind of made up story to make people search for it in vain" I thought to myself . Nick then said "This concludes the test . You did quite well actually . Only one wrong answer . Of course you would have more wrong answers if I were to ask more questions" . I nodded to that . I knew I didn"t remember the whole book, therefore there would be loads of questions I wouldn"t be able to answer .

Nick continued "Read this book couple of times but start reading the Medical Journal that I gave you as well" . I agreed to that suggestion . Nick then turned around towards the poles and said "You are not far away from finding the right balance on the first pole . It will be more difficult for you to make moves but with time you will be able to do what I did" . I nodded my head in understanding . I then asked a question "When will you teach me about the art of hidden weapons?" to which Nick snorted and said "Hmph, You already have a lot on your hands . When you master both the wooden poles and these two books, I will teach you new things . For now, every week I will come back to test your knowledge and look at your progress with the wooden poles" .

I was a bit disappointed but he was right as well . I didn"t have any more time . I trained on wooden poles most of the time and when I had some free time like break between the tasks, I would read a book . There is a saying "Biting more than you can chew" and I didn"t want to be a perfect example of that saying either .

When Nick left, I begun my training with the wooden poles again . After a few hours of such training I would lay down in my bed to read the book . This time, I read the Medical Journal . This book explained how different illnesses and diseases are formed and with what to treat them . The book was about half the size of the Thousand and One Herbs book but it contained very small amount of drawings and a lot more writing compared to the other book .

The book described symptoms of said illnesses and diseases as well as precautions if any and possible medication that can fight said ailment . It was quite detailed book and thus very hard to memorize . I didn"t give up and read it as much as I could when I had the time . I did read the Thousand and One Herbs from time to time, just to read something else once in a while .

A week pa.s.sed like this and I was already able to balance myself on the shortest wooden pole . The next step was to travel to the next one . I tried many times but every time I tried jumping or anything, I fell down . I could stay on the shortest wooden pole for a long time but if I moved too much I would fall . I needed to find a balance while moving otherwise this would get me nowhere .

A week pa.s.sed like this and I was already able to balance myself on the shortest wooden pole . The next step was to travel to the next one . I tried many times but every time I tried jumping or anything, I fell down . I could stay on the shortest wooden pole for a long time but if I moved too much I would fall . I needed to find a balance while moving otherwise this would get me nowhere .

On that day, Nick came back and again asked me questions about both books this time . I answered correctly most of the questions from Thousand and One Herbs but on the other hand, I got only one or two correct from Medical Journal . It was hard to remember all these descriptions and illnesses as well as treatments and symptoms . The solution to that would be to read it many times, then finally memorizing it but how long would that take? I didn"t know .

Nick said "You are making progress and you have remembered a lot from the Thousand and One Herbs book . You just have to focus more on the Medical Journal and on your pole practice" . He then continued "I will give you a clue about the wooden poles training you are doing . When you are trying to find the balance don"t fight against the poles . Become one of them" .

I was a bit confused and thought about it for a long time . Then an idea came to my mind "I think what he meant was that . If I was to become one with the pole then when it falls I fall therefore when it stands I stand too" At that time I understood something and jumped on top of the first wooden pole . If I could become one with it, then standing on it would not only be easy but also I could move with it . With this in my mind, I went straight to practise . I fell down all the time but now I had a clearer view ahead of me and a wisp of understanding .

I was a bit confused and thought about it for a long time . Then an idea came to my mind "I think what he meant was that . If I was to become one with the pole then when it falls I fall therefore when it stands I stand too" At that time I understood something and jumped on top of the first wooden pole . If I could become one with it, then standing on it would not only be easy but also I could move with it . With this in my mind, I went straight to practise . I fell down all the time but now I had a clearer view ahead of me and a wisp of understanding .

My training continued like so for 1 month . After that month winter was approaching in huge steps . I did loads of improvements in both memorizing the books as well as the wooden poles training . I could now travel around all the poles but if lost focus then the balance would be affected . Although I could travel between the wooden poles now, it was not as perfect as Nick"s demonstration . I sometimes stumbled, misstepped or misjudged the balance . There were still many errors in my movements but I could move around the wooden poles now .

I also managed to memorize about 95% of the Thousand and One Herbs book as well as about 60% of the Medical Journal book . Nick was surprised at how good my improvements on wooden poles were after he told me this one clue . He wasn"t that much surprised about me memorizing the books, he even said that the Medical Journal was quite difficult for me to memorize which he didn"t expect . I didn"t give up either way and continued on with my training .

My tasks also changed a bit . I still carried water in the morning for the whole village but then I had to cut the wood until 11am . Then I had a break for 1 hour and at 12pm I had to go to the blacksmith and produce ingots until 4pm . I was finishing my tasks one hour earlier but at the same time I only had one break so it was comparable to my past timetable .

I also got a lot of my strength back . I was now full of it . I thought about it many times "Why do I suddenly have so much strength?" and only one answer was flashing through my mind . It was the incident with the fairy . I was sucked dry and left starving . I had to eat a lot in order to not feel hunger and any activity brought more hunger . Simple task of walking was difficult without food . After so much time, I realised that because of the constant hunger and so little food as well as physical labour my muscles developed but didn"t grow .
My tasks also changed a bit . I still carried water in the morning for the whole village but then I had to cut the wood until 11am . Then I had a break for 1 hour and at 12pm I had to go to the blacksmith and produce ingots until 4pm . I was finishing my tasks one hour earlier but at the same time I only had one break so it was comparable to my past timetable .

I also got a lot of my strength back . I was now full of it . I thought about it many times "Why do I suddenly have so much strength?" and only one answer was flashing through my mind . It was the incident with the fairy . I was sucked dry and left starving . I had to eat a lot in order to not feel hunger and any activity brought more hunger . Simple task of walking was difficult without food . After so much time, I realised that because of the constant hunger and so little food as well as physical labour my muscles developed but didn"t grow .

Even Nick was astonished when he checked up on me couple of times . He asked me couple of times if I practiced some kind of manual but my answer was always "No" . Thanks to Nick"s diagnosis and the experience, I figured it out . My muscles got stronger due to hunger and labour but without enough food my muscles were burned all the time . And although this seemed bad, I gained a lot of strength thanks to that .

There were downsides as well . I was skinny as h.e.l.l! It didn"t matter how much I ate, I would not get fatter . I looked like skin and bones but I was healthy and had a lot of strength . I even suspected that I could probably take on Rand"s granddaughter and the guy who always watched me .

But I wouldn"t try that yet . I had stuff to learn and because I knew Rand will go back on his word, I would learn from Nick and then I would have my life back .I didnt believe in those fairy tales . A flower that can grant you immortality? Bah, of course it is some kind of made up story to make people search for it in vain I thought to myself . Nick then said This concludes the test . You did quite well actually . Only one wrong answer . Of course you would have more wrong answers if I were to ask more questions . I nodded to that . I knew I didnt remember the whole book, therefore there would be loads of questions I wouldnt be able to answer . Nick continued Read this book couple of times but start reading the Medical Journal that I gave you as well . I agreed to that suggestion . Nick then turned around towards the poles and said You are not far away from finding the right balance on the first pole . It will be more difficult for you to make moves but with time you will be able to do what I did . I nodded my head in understanding . I then asked a question When will you teach me about the art of hidden weapons? to which Nick snorted and said Hmph, You already have a lot on your hands . When you master both the wooden poles and these two books, I will teach you new things . For now, every week I will come back to test your knowledge and look at your progress with the wooden poles . I was a bit disappointed but he was right as well . I didnt have any more time . I trained on wooden poles most of the time and when I had some free time like break between the tasks, I would read a book . There is a saying Biting more than you can chew and I didnt want to be a perfect example of that saying either . When Nick left, I begun my training with the wooden poles again . After a few hours of such training I would lay down in my bed to read the book . This time, I read the Medical Journal . This book explained how different illnesses and diseases are formed and with what to treat them . The book was about half the size of the Thousand and One Herbs book but it contained very small amount of drawings and a lot more writing compared to the other book . The book described symptoms of said illnesses and diseases as well as precautions if any and possible medication that can fight said ailment . It was quite detailed book and thus very hard to memorize . I didnt give up and read it as much as I could when I had the time . I did read the Thousand and One Herbs from time to time, just to read something else once in a while . A week pa.s.sed like this and I was already able to balance myself on the shortest wooden pole . The next step was to travel to the next one . I tried many times but every time I tried jumping or anything, I fell down . I could stay on the shortest wooden pole for a long time but if I moved too much I would fall . I needed to find a balance while moving otherwise this would get me nowhere . On that day, Nick came back and again asked me questions about both books this time . I answered correctly most of the questions from Thousand and One Herbs but on the other hand, I got only one or two correct from Medical Journal . It was hard to remember all these descriptions and illnesses as well as treatments and symptoms . The solution to that would be to read it many times, then finally memorizing it but how long would that take? I didnt know . Nick said You are making progress and you have remembered a lot from the Thousand and One Herbs book . You just have to focus more on the Medical Journal and on your pole practice . He then continued I will give you a clue about the wooden poles training you are doing . When you are trying to find the balance dont fight against the poles . Become one of them . I was a bit confused and thought about it for a long time . Then an idea came to my mind I think what he meant was that . If I was to become one with the pole then when it falls I fall therefore when it stands I stand too At that time I understood something and jumped on top of the first wooden pole . If I could become one with it, then standing on it would not only be easy but also I could move with it . With this in my mind, I went straight to practise . I fell down all the time but now I had a clearer view ahead of me and a wisp of understanding . My training continued like so for 1 month . After that month winter was approaching in huge steps . I did loads of improvements in both memorizing the books as well as the wooden poles training . I could now travel around all the poles but if lost focus then the balance would be affected . Although I could travel between the wooden poles now, it was not as perfect as Nicks demonstration . I sometimes stumbled, misstepped or misjudged the balance . There were still many errors in my movements but I could move around the wooden poles now . I also managed to memorize about 95% of the Thousand and One Herbs book as well as about 60% of the Medical Journal book . Nick was surprised at how good my improvements on wooden poles were after he told me this one clue . He wasnt that much surprised about me memorizing the books, he even said that the Medical Journal was quite difficult for me to memorize which he didnt expect . I didnt give up either way and continued on with my training . My tasks also changed a bit . I still carried water in the morning for the whole village but then I had to cut the wood until 11am . Then I had a break for 1 hour and at 12pm I had to go to the blacksmith and produce ingots until 4pm . I was finishing my tasks one hour earlier but at the same time I only had one break so it was comparable to my past timetable . I also got a lot of my strength back . I was now full of it . I thought about it many times Why do I suddenly have so much strength? and only one answer was flashing through my mind . It was the incident with the fairy . I was sucked dry and left starving . I had to eat a lot in order to not feel hunger and any activity brought more hunger . Simple task of walking was difficult without food . After so much time, I realised that because of the constant hunger and so little food as well as physical labour my muscles developed but didnt grow . Even Nick was astonished when he checked up on me couple of times . He asked me couple of times if I practiced some kind of manual but my answer was always No . Thanks to Nicks diagnosis and the experience, I figured it out . My muscles got stronger due to hunger and labour but without enough food my muscles were burned all the time . And although this seemed bad, I gained a lot of strength thanks to that . There were downsides as well . I was skinny as h.e.l.l! It didnt matter how much I ate, I would not get fatter . I looked like skin and bones but I was healthy and had a lot of strength . I even suspected that I could probably take on Rands granddaughter and the guy who always watched me . But I wouldnt try that yet . I had stuff to learn and because I knew Rand will go back on his word, I would learn from Nick and then I would have my life back .