Learning Superpowers

Chapter 9

Learning Superpowers

Anyway, after more than a year of joining, when they were satisfied that I was trustworthy, they started teaching me more. I started learning the ways of Ayura, Scentier, and Presage after a year of joining, during the winter. I knew what they were from my previous life but I got to know more about them after joining the Alkennys.

Naturally, I was quite excited to learn.

A Presage is someone with an extra-sensory ability to feel emotions and intentions to sense what's coming.

They have an empathic sense that extends beyond a person's physical form. They, therefore, have a heightened emotional sensitivity to the connection between the real physical world, and the spiritual metaphysical world. It is the only power that leans towards the supernatural. The 1st step of learning it is meditation.

An Ayura is someone with an enhanced sense of hearing and an extrasensory ability to hear lies; someone who can hear secrets and sense truth. Ayuras can have markings on or alterations of the face, designed to amplify sound towards the ear. An Ayura can hear deception even at a great distance. Ayuras can often feel what's coming.

A Scentier is someone naturally born with an acute scene of smell. An ability that is often enhanced by training and with physical modifications and adornments like raised tattoos or embedded seashells.

Similar to Ayuras, individual Scentiers can have functional ritualistic scarifications running across their faces, often from cheeks and ears and foreheads to the base of their nostrils, as if guiding energy and focus to their noses. Multiple Scentiers often breathe in unison to determine what is out there.

In battles, Ayuras and Scentiers are so valuable that one or two other warriors are assigned to them as personal guards. They are kept from the fray because their ability to assess the situation is so strategically advantageous, soldiers do not want to risk losing them. They are like bloodhounds for any military organization, someone with an ability to dream the wind; A pain in the ass to the enemies.

Presages, Scentiers, and Ayuras frequently work together, especially in conflict, to assess a situation.

I knew Illun was going to become an Ayura. Even at a young age, she was the best among us. I came after her in that skill. On the other hand, I was more skilled Ayura than Scentier. The less said about my ability of Presaging, the better.

I could use my hearing to sense if any animal was nearby. My range was though quite small than Illun but more than most. In fact, I could hear about 45 steps at the maximum and that is quite a lot. Initially, it was just 27 steps.

I practiced it every day and in 3 years, I was able to increase it quite a bit. You could say that I was able to increase it 6 steps per year. And my steps have become larger as I have gained height over the years.

People can't use it all the time as it has nasty side effects if one would use it for a longer time. The side effects include headache, dizziness, etc.

I kept it up as much as I could but I could only keep it up for 4 minutes by my calculation. Initially, it was only a single minute but after 3 years of practice, I have managed to increase it. Obviously, other people don't know about that. They think that the time limit increases naturally. They don't even practice for it.

If I continued practicing, I could eventually reach and then surpass Illun. By my calculation, I could surpass her in a few years as she had a range of 60 steps when activated though it will also grow stronger as she ages.

Maybe, I might not be able to reach her if she had explosive growth.

I could also hear the deception and other things in a voice. By adding my vision, I could even mostly tell what the person was feeling.

My sense of smell, on the other hand, was only one third the range of the hearing. I could smell something from about 15 steps of the distance even after 3 years of practicing. Initially, it was just 3 steps. So you could say that I was able to increase the range of 4 steps per year.

This also has side effects if used longer than necessary. The side effects include irritation in the nose at first which becomes stronger if the person continues to use it. If someone still continues to use it, blood starts coming out of their nose as the blood vessels in the nose starts popping due to the exertion.

I knew it because I felt the blood running down my nose while experimenting for the first time. I stopped using it once it happened so I don't know if there are any further side effects. I suspect it would be followed by dizziness, vomiting, etc.

After that experiment, I only practiced it until my nose starts itching. I also made sure to take a 15 to 20 minutes gap in between so that it won't pressurize my nose too much.

This way, I could now keep the technique up for about 4 minutes too. Initially, it was just a single minute. Just like the previous technique, I was able to increase its time range by practicing the technique, diligently.

The other people also don't practice this.

They just use it the way they are born or make ritual sacrifices. I didn't want to disfigure my face or any other body part. So that's why I practiced.

I used my friends for this. I would propose this as a game to pass the time.

They would speak at some distance while I would try to tell them apart without using my eyes. The same way they would take out something which smells and I had to tell it. This practice also helped the others a little increasing their range and time limit.

There were other superpowers too and persons who wielded them.

A Shadow is someone, usually female, with the power to be very close to someone without them knowing or recognizing the presence of the Shadow.

Undetectable when practicing, a Shadow gathers secrets through observation and moves slowly, silently, and smoothly like a snake, the scents of their body masked with natural local materials. Shadowing is a pure form of consciousness where the artist becomes exclusively a pure observer of events unfolding.

The art of Shadowing is very secretive and is passed from generation to generation through the maternal line. When Shadowing, they purge themselves of thought, so even Ayuras and Presages cannot sense a Shadow's presence.

I couldn't learn the ways of shadowing as I didn't want to reveal myself that I could see. I don't even know why the men couldn't learn it.

Still, I was happy with learning about the other 3 as they were quite useful. I was not skilled at Presaging like others much but every bit helped.

The current Shadow was none other than Bow Lion's mother. I knew because she spied on me regularly when I joined the tribe. Quite some of my time was passed by watching Bow lion's mother. Her tits were quite bountiful. I must say watching her naked was still a good pastime, though the urge to touch them was pure torture as I couldn't act on it. They have started to sag a little now. But even then, I sometimes watch her whenever she is a shadow, to pass time.

Still, I knew that the next shadow will be Bow Lion so I decided pretty early to follow the Dreamer and Bow Lion if I ever find them leaving the village for the lessons. There hasn't been any lesson till now. The Bow Lion was still barely a toddler so I knew that I had some time before that happens.

There were also Kill Dancers.

Kill Dancers are Alkenny warriors skilled in the use of Killing Ropes, generally are out in front of the rest of Alkenny soldiers. I, then, remembered that they are the ones who were fighting during the 1st episode. They are adept in Martial Art, known as Killing Dance developed over many centuries by blind warriors. Fighters wear falcon or owl wings in their hair since both birds kill silently.

Still, it doesn't mean that only the Alkenny have them. The witch-finder army is comprised of many Kill Dancers. It is an art that many other tribes and even slavers use. I even encountered one when I killed the tribe members who used slaves. In fact, he was the first one to get killed. It was good that I knew their potential otherwise I might have been captured.

They use the Killing Ropes which are specially made.

Killing Ropes also known as Spinning Ropes are long, usually leather, ropes with blades and rocks at the end. When spinning, they orbit quickly. This means they can be easily weaponized, and they can also locate the enemy or stationary objects. The sound made when spinning also referred to as Rope Music. Once, you are proficient enough in it, you could even custom make your own ropes.

I also started learning the Kill Dancing around the same time, I started learning other things. The practice for it was quite hard, especially for me as I always closed my eyes during it.

But I persevered.

We had to use both the sense of smell and the sense of hearing to keep track of the ropes. That's why only those who were both Ayura and Scentier could perform this dance.

All of the Kill Dancers are the people who have low potential in becoming a Scentier or an Ayura. After all, the tribe doesn't need that many Ayuras and Scentiers.

When I continued learning the Killing Dance, many were surprised as I was one of the best Ayura. They thought I would stop once I discovered my talent in that area. Thankfully, they stopped grumbling after a bit.

Truthfully, I always felt it was idiotic to limit myself though I didn't tell them that as I was not the head of the tribe. In fact, I was quite low in the hierarchy.

It was during this technique's practice that the majority of people got to practice their time limit. Seeing as my time limit increased during the last 3 years, I was able to practice more than my fellow tribesman.

While using both techniques simultaneously, the range also decreases significantly. When I started it, my range was 3 steps, more than above average, unlike the others.

But after practicing for 3 years, my range has increased to 6 steps.

It was even higher than the veterans who taught us. Most of the other people have a range of 3 to 4 steps with only a few crossing the 4 step mark. People guess while striking their targets if the target is at a longer distance than that. My range is one of the highest of any in the tribe and it will only keep getting higher as time passes.

The only one who has a higher range than me is the Killing Dance instructor with a range of 6 steps as his steps are longer than mine.

The time limit also decreases quite a lot when both of the techniques are used simultaneously. My starting point for that was only a little more than 10 seconds. After 3 years, it has increased to a little more than three-fourth of a minute.

Other people can't even reach 30 seconds. To combat this restriction, people use the technique only while finding and striking the target. I also do this as it could be useful in the future if I am in a pinch.

While initially, I was not a prodigy in Rope Dancing, I was not too bad. I just needed more time to get the hang of it. And once I got the hang of it, I quickly surpassed everyone else.

3 years are more than enough to get hang of it. The things I could do with the rope are indefinite. I could choke someone with it. I could whip someone with it. If I have blades tied at the edge, I could kill the other person or animal from some distance away. If one is surrounded on all sides, he or she could keep spinning the spiked rope around and kill a lot of people with it.

The only limitations on it were the person's imagination.

Only recently have I started to open my eyes while using this technique as I learned the foundation to my best ability without the eyes. While I am above average at best with my eyes closed in using the ropes, I am the best when I could use my eyesight.

I am sure with more time I could be deadlier with it.

I have also noticed an observation after speaking to my fellow members. While combining the techniques of Ayura and Scentier, the range is one-tenth of the combined individual range. The same rule applies to the time limit too.

I obviously also learned sword fighting.

The thing is, without the eyesight, the sword fighting was not the same. Moreover, people used spears more often than swords as it was easy to make and required less metal or as it is called 'Godbone'. Moreover, it also had a longer reach.

Anyway, the instructions were not that much great. We were taught to slash, block, and pierce with both spears and swords.

And that's it.

After that, we were distributed into groups: The beginners, the novices, the intermediate, and the masters. And then, the only thing the people could do was to duel each other in their group to increase experience. Obviously, the weapons were made of wood so that people don't accidentally hurt each other.

Once every year, the masters would check on the progress. There would be a tournament at the end of every autumn or the start of winter. It lasts for 6 days in which the beginners would fight the novices on the first day, the novices would fight the intermediates on the second day, and the intermediates would fight the masters on the third day.

It happens again in the same order. The first 3 days are for the swordfight and the last 3 days are for the Spear fight.

Based on the fight, the person would either remain where he/she is or would get promoted. According to my observations, only 1 or 2 gets promoted every few years.

I arrived here at the start of the tournament 4 years ago and spent my first week witnessing the fights. It left an impression. It was also the reason why I was more than a little miffed when they excluded me from martial training for a year. And why I was so happy when they started including me.

When I started the sword practice, there were 13 in each group. The Alkenny tribe could only marshal 52 warriors in total. But now, the tribe could marshal 54 warriors with 14, 13, 14, and 13 warriors respectively in each group.

Obviously, I closed my eyes during these lessons. After all, I could be deadlier once I started using my eyesight after getting good with it without using the eyes.

People also used the same technique used in Killing Dance to keep track of my sword and the enemy's sword. Initially, I did the same but later on, I took it further.

Now, I can also decrease the range to increase the time limit. While initially, I couldn't do that as my range was not high, but now, I could do it. Even then, it took some practice to get it right.

With 5 steps of range, my time limit doubles and it continues to add for every decrement of a single step. I feel 3 steps to be the minimum requirement to keep track of your enemy's movements during the fight. But while fighting multiple opponents, I feel 4 steps is the more appropriate.

This way, I always knew my surroundings. For a limited amount of time, nothing would be able to escape my notice.

This may seem like a small thing but it was a godsend in a swordfight. If you think about it, is very useful.

Usually, the sword/spear fights last only a few seconds if the skill gap is large. And even if the skill gap is small, they don't last more than half a minute. With my time limit, I can go for quite some time. For the 4 steps range, I could use my heightened senses for more than 3 minutes, and for 3 steps, I could go for 6 and a half minute.

Anyway, I started fighting duels about 3 years ago. Every day, I would practice with the other children in sword and spear fighting. I was as green as one would expect.

Initially, I dueled with only 1 opponent but a few weeks later, I could feel that I wouldn't improve much by doing that. So, I started dueling with 2 simultaneously. It was a chore to make them agree on it. Thankfully, the children do as they are told if one is stern enough.

My plan worked. I could feel myself improving for the next few months. When I was able to match them, I started fighting with 3 opponents. And so on, so forth, I would repeat the process. This really helped me in training for multiple opponents.

After a while, I became more skilled so I started getting paired with the older people who were in the category for the longest time.

By the time, the yearly tournament arrived, I was able to fend off 4 of the best beginner level people. I easily got promoted to the novices after the tournament.

I tried the same method there too and when the next yearly tournament was over, I was promoted to the intermediates.

I have followed the same pattern in the last year too though my 3rd tournament has yet to happen, I am quite positive that I would be able to get that promotion in the next few weeks. After all, I am able to easily defeat the 3 best fighters in my category.

Seeing my strategy, other people also started emulating me for the last year. Only a few were able to succeed though. They didn't know but it was the mixture of my higher healing rate and the higher time limit which was the reason for my success. Still, they have made quite a bit of progress in the last year.

Sometimes these techniques felt like super-powers. But they weren't. The humans just found a way to use these powers after 500 years of blindness.

For now, I was satisfied with my martial progress.

There is also one more power among the people that were not shown in the canon.

People born with an acute sense of taste. They are called Tasters. Truthfully it was not much used in a battle. It was more for cooking. They were usually the head cooks in the tribe.

I didn't encounter anyone with it in the Alkenny tribe but I did encounter one in the Thenns tribe. The head cook was called Taster while I stayed there. But, I didn't know at that time. I thought it was her name, a strange one at that. Only after talking with the tribe members, I found out.

Apparently, I was also quite a Taster. I loved food and I could even differentiate the ingredients just by tasting something. For that alone, I was taught to cook, after all, the Alkenny tribe definitely had a vacancy for a Taster.

After 2 years of my joining, I was appointed as the only Taster of the Alkenny tribe. While the title was good, I didn't like my job. I didn't even practice for it as I couldn't find its usefulness in a battle.

It wasn't my only job. I am also a Hunter as I hunt fish and other animals for food. With the help of my eyes, I am able to track the animals' footprints. With my enhanced hearing and sense of smell in the mix, I am lauded as the best hunter of the tribe even though that is not my official title.

I am also a Builder as I help the official builder of the tribe (a man named Shik) make the furniture, houses, etc, and with my eyes, I get almost zero injuries. My creations are more aesthetic and stronger than even the official builder. Moreover, I could make the same thing in less than half the time due to my eyesight.

I am also the Assistant quartermaster. My maths was one of the favorite subjects in my previous life. After helping the official quartermaster (the man named Arta who is the father of Arca) I am easily able to calculate the usage of food and other things per person with respect to their age category. I even taught him my method which has made him more efficient.

And obviously, I am a warrior. It required me to fight in case of a conflict.

The thing is people pass their titles and jobs to their children. Shik was taught the art of building by his father and his son is learning from him. Similarly, Arta's father was the quartermaster before him and he will be teaching Arca to be the next quartermaster.

That's why I could never be given those titles unless they somehow die. People actually die only due to a few reasons nowadays, birth, cold, starvation, beasts, men, accidents.

I could rule out the first four as they are not the problem for the Alkenny tribe. We had enough wood to keep warm in winter. We have enough food to go through the winter. We don't have any beasts like lions or bears anywhere near here. And people don't actually travel anymore so fighting is about nil.

And I am not a cold heartless bastard who would arrange an accident for a worthless position.

Still, I could only become the Head Cook of the tribe. And I hated that.

Still, I have decided to continue like this until an opportunity presents itself.