Nick advised me to use the cotton balls whenever possible. That would help me train my sight and sense of touch. Even during my job at the smithy, which was a welcome change from all the noise to be honest. During the day, I'd exercise my sense of sight and touch, as well as read the books. Then at Nick's house, I'd practice the methods described in his Medical Journal. While at night, we'd train my hearing with the wooden poles.
Sometimes, a blizzard would hit the village. That was especially bad since my clothes weren't great for the season of winter. Thankfully, I worked in the smithy most of the day, which had a nice warm temperature all year round. Day by day, my senses improved. Though my ears began picking up some noises while training with Nick, it wasn't enough to avoid the poles yet. My eyes and the sense of touch became more sensitive too. I could register more details around me, and be more attentive towards my environment.
At some point, Nick shared an exercise with me, that could improve my sight even more. The exercise was simple, and could be carried out virtually anywhere. I had to look at one place for a few seconds, before turning the other way, or closing my eyes. Then in my mind, I'd recount all the items present in my view. Of course the number at the start was really small, but with time, I managed to improve and register as well as memorize more things.
Nick told me this exercise was great for a quick recognition of the environment around me, which lead to quicker decision making. He even mentioned that to make it more difficult, I'd have to remember the properties of the items and objects seen. Stuff like colour, size or even placement. That was a bit too difficult for me at the stage, but it was something to keep in mind.
Due to winter, we couldn't practice making medicine, there were no fresh herbs for me to practice on. Nick assured me we'd start in the spring, and I was looking forward to that. After all, being able to make my own medicine, would be of great help during my future travels.
Other than daily practice and work, there was a piece of news Nick brought to my attention. Namely, Senty was getting married, and the date was set for the following year. They decided on summer for the nicest weather, and the wedding would take place in Grasshill Village, not Horseplain Village. "That bitch, I'd be happy if something went wrong with her or that guy", I voiced my displeasure. Why should she be happy, for the person she really was? The amount of times she'd chase me just to throw punches at me, was countless. Such people should suffer in my view, not get married and live a happy life.
"I suppose there is a way for you to ruin that for them. The wedding will take place in summer, so you have some time to prepare, though you'll need to train real hard. Grasshill isn't like the Horseplain Village. They actually have guards, and with that look, no one will let you in. Especially on the wedding day", Nick suggested.
"I'm training everyday, though the clothes are a problem. Moreover, how would I leave the village? Sure, Rand and a few other people might leave for the wedding, but still. Besides, if I showed up there, what would be the point?", I replied. "You just have to deal with Rand properly. Spring will be upon us soon, isn't that when you arrived here? Think of a way to gain freedom, yet remain here. You are quite valuable to them after all, with the purified steel and stuff. Play it right, and you should be fine", Nick said.
"As for how? There are a few useful recipes in my books. Moreover, why do you think you're learning the Art of Stealth? Keeping your life is more important than fighting. If you can hide and run away better, this will improve your chances of survival. That will also mean, your chances to get in somewhere unnoticed increase too", he added.
He had a point, and Rand would try to keep me inside the village. Though leaving wasn't in my plans, Nick had more stuff to teach me, but the whole ordeal had to be handled well. 'I'll try to get as many benefits under the guise of leaving. There's still time, and there's loads more for me to learn before my revenge', I thought.
Nick's words provided a great amount of motivation towards my training. My senses had to develop quickly, and for that, I spent more and more time practicing various methods. At some point, towards the end of winter, my senses became sharp and something else peculiar happened. When trying to find my way around the poles, I'd get a feeling that a pole would appear in front of me.
The feeling was weird, but it wasn't wrong most of the time. I consulted Nick about it, and his face changed. "Are you sure?", he asked after my explanation. "Yes, sometimes, I'd just get a feeling that a pole is in front of me. Not because of noise, it was just a feeling. That doesn't happen very often, but it's rarely wrong. Do you know why?", I asked.
Nick looked at me for a while, then said, "What a monster... To think you'd start developing your instincts so fast. The purpose of sealing your senses was exactly that, instinct. You managed to develop it faster than expected, though it's not completely there yet, this alone is an achievement worth bragging about. My guess as to why, it would be to do with that will of yours...".
"Instincts are that important? Then does that mean we can continue to the next thing?", "Yes, instincts are crucial for any warrior, whether you learn the arts or not. Your instincts will warn you of something, and if you can control and hone them, they will become your weapon as well as shield. And no, we will increase the difficulty of your training. You haven't developed your instincts very well at this stage. You need more stimulus, so we will change the poles to something else", Nick replied.
The 'something else' in his mind was knives. "Are you mad? I can't dodge knives blindly. This is dangerous", I protested. "You forget the fact I'm your teacher. Do you think I'm unable to control these knives well? Stop whining, and put the mask on. This is important, so focus", he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
With the mask on my face, I feared what awaited me. Nick told me to focus, but perhaps he'd do a better job if he didn't tell me anything about the knives. Out of nowhere, something scraped past my arm. The knife didn't harm me, but it didn't help either. I was about to take the mask off, when Nick stopped me. "Don't even think about it. If you take it off, I'll aim for your legs next time". "This is crazy! I don't want to look like cheese", I protested.
"Focus, and you'll be fine", he replied, before something scraped my left leg. 'Fuck! Focus, focus...', I thought to myself. Though Nick's knives didn't harm me in any way, the sheer thought of knives flying my way scared me shitless. I knew he was good with his aim and control, but the fear remained. The training concluded without much of a result. "Why are you so scared?", he asked me at the end of it.
"Would you be perfectly fine if you couldn't see, and knives flew at you? Of course it's scary... Even though you didn't hit me once", I replied. "See, nothing to worry about. Get rid of your fear, or get used to it and improve. The improvements with this method will be staggering, if you persist. Just trust me a bit, and focus on your task next time. Alright?", "Hah... Alright", I replied with a deep sigh.