27 The Medical Journal

The next night, Nick took me outside the village through the palisade. "Do you think it will be alright? I mean, people don't check on me at night, but still", I asked. "Don't worry, they're people too, they need sleep. No one's gonna notice", he assured me. Nick led me a bit further away from the palisade, where a nice flat area was located.

He set up the poles again, and told me to train. There was one difference that night, he wouldn't catch me when I fell. "I thought you'll catch me", I said a bit annoyed. "Oh, you can fall as much as you like here, no one will hear. Besides, that's part of your training too", he replied. His reply made me come up with ideas how not to fall. I tried a fast approach, but fell. Then I tried a slow approach and fell again.

"Don't get discouraged, Nex. This will take you a while. I'm not expecting you to do it perfectly after a few tries", Nick encouraged me in his own way. I fell, and fell, and fell some more, before Nick called it quits. "You still need some sleep, therefore we'll stop here", he said and packed up everything.

My butt and side ached a bit, but it wasn't that bad. 'I guess after a week or so, I'll get used to falling', I reckoned and went to sleep. My life in the village sort of became mundane. I'd read the Encyclopaedia Herbis whenever possible, carry out my tasks and practice with Nick at night.

After three weeks, autumn greeted us with colourful leaves falling off the trees, as well as colder and rainier weather. My practice with Nick wouldn't stop just because of rain, though we didn't have to do it outside. The pouring rain on some nights easily masked the noises of my training.

I managed to improve my balance considerably, albeit wasn't able to follow Nick's movements. The falls became rarer and I was able to advance onto other poles without falling. Though not perfect, it was progress. In the meantime, Nick would also ask me questions from the book he gave me. The questions would get more complex over time, which really tested my knowledge. I read the Encyclopaedia Herbis everyday, and some of the parts were already dedicated to my mind.

After these three weeks, Nick decided to introduce another book to me. "This is another book you'll need to memorize. Don't worry, you can take as long as you need for this one. It outlines how to treat people, how to fix bones and such. This will also introduce to you the pressure points, but we'll practice that in the future", he said. The book was called Medical Journal. The book had a lot of methods, and techniques to deal with injuries both light and severe. There was also the general outline of human body, and the pressure points Nick mentioned.

"Where did you get these from?", I asked him. "What do you mean? I wrote them. These are the fruits of many years of work. Remember the Art of Medicine? This is just one part of it. Once you memorize the Encyclopaedia Herbis, we'll move on to recipes. I'll try to teach you as much as possible, since this is the work of my lifetime", he said.

"Does that mean you mastered it?", "Haha, no. There are so many things my knowledge lacks. This art is a bit different than others, because it doesn't matter how much you practice. For my art, research, materials and years of study are required. Even then, you aren't guaranteed to master anything. Hence you'll inherit everything I know. That way, my knowledge doesn't go to waste. Perhaps you'll find someone in the future. Someone who can continue the research, and maybe reach the pinnacle of this art", he explained.

"What do you think about your progress with the balance so far?", Nick asked out of nowhere. "I mean, the progress is there. I'm getting better at it, and can even jump to some of the poles without falling", I replied. "...You are trying to grind it out, which will work eventually, but we don't have years. I'm not that young anymore. Think about it, use your head and find the best solution to your problem. Sometimes there's an easier solution", he said.

"I'm not sure what you mean. Balance is balance, I just need to learn how to control it, and how to behave myself on those poles", I said a bit confused. "I gave you two clues already, try to figure it out, instead of relying on me to tell you. You have everything you need in order to succeed", he said. "Alright, I'll give it some thought before the next training", I promised.

The next day, my thoughts always drifted towards my balance training. I tried to figure out what was the second clue that Nick gave me. That was until reading a certain section of the Medical Journal. The journal explained how human body worked, including pivot points and balance. That was the second clue Nick provided.

'Right, so balance isn't just a simple, keep steady and extend your arms..', I thought after reading the section. Human balance consisted of many factors such as sight, feel and points of pivot. Moreover, the balance would shift depending on how one behaved. When trying to walk a narrow plank, we'd extend our hands to the side of our body to balance ourselves. That wouldn't work with the wooden poles, because I wasn't walking forward, and I'd usually stand on one leg only.

"The balance has to shift all the time... That's why I'd fall so often, I wasn't shifting my balance accurately", I concluded. Moreover, humans learned to balance themselves from a young age. We do it subconsciously, but the exercise required to be fully aware of the changes in balance. 'I can't wait to try this out tonight', I thought.

The night arrived shortly. With no rain clouds in sight, we left the village for my practice. Nick decided to ask me some questions about herbs first. He asked me about rarer herbs, such as Mountain Trot, which as name suggested could be found in rocky areas. That herb was really useful for stamina remedies. Another question was about Lagnian Nettle, which could cause burns to the skin. Though not deadly, it could cause permanent skin damage if used in greater quantities. Mostly used for poison, but had ingestive uses too.

The most difficult question he asked, was about Trantum Solution. I couldn't recall any information about that. Even suspecting that Nick made it up, but I was wrong. "Trantum Solution is used when dealing with very severe injuries to finger, or even limbs. This thing is used to reconnect severed fingers, hands or legs", Nick explained. "Really? So you can really attach arms back, and stuff?", "You thought I was joking?... Oh boy, you have a long road ahead of you. I wouldn't call this an Art, if it was so limited", Nick replied annoyed.

After the test, he told me to practice. I tried to act according to the new information from the Medical Journal. At first, it felt weird to me, but with time, my balance seemed to improve. "Oh, so you read the Medical Journal. Good, you'll get the hang of this in a while...", as Nick spoke to me, I lost my balance, fell down and glared at him. "What? You'll have to train your focus too. If me talking throws you off, we really have loads to do", he added. "Yea, yea. Whatever, I'll continue now", I said and got back to it.

Nick apparently found a new game to play, and it was called, 'distract Nex'. He'd made fart noises, or just say the most random shit ever. "Do you enjoy it so much?!", I snapped. "Just focus on your practice, why are you looking this way?", he replied without a shred of guilt. 'I thought you are over seventy years old... Act your age, damn it!', I thought to myself, but continued to practice.