Chapter 31: Perfecting Waterball
The mage training grounds seemed particularly empty the next day. Vorinth was absent, as well, which seemed to lighten the atmosphere. The gathered mages were abuzz with rumors, and I couldn't help but listen in.
"Have you heard about the War Hero?" a dark-cloaked man in his early thirties asked. He had a long, curved mustache that brushed the faint flush of his cheeks.
"Yeah," a younger woman said, enthusiasm marking her tone. "To think he'd be here a full week early!"
"Didn't he challenge our hero to a duel? I can't wait to see who's stronger. It's already been a few months, and they say heroes grow extraordinarily fast."
"Watch it there, lass. Don't speak like the Sun Hero is everyone's hero. I'll be supporting the War hero. He's my brother's god, after all," the girl said, flicking her hair behind her shoulder.
"I guess that's true," the man said, stroking his mustache.
I stared after them as they walked away, but the topic changed to a more mundane subject. The War Hero sounded formidable, but I couldn't recall anything about him. The War God wasn't widely worshiped in Enusia, nor even considered a major part of the pantheon. I guess he summoned a hero as a part of the gods' game without any personal stakes.
"You ready to cast a few more Waterballs?" Selena asked, coming up beside me.
I nodded, still thinking about what I'd heard. If Soltair was going to be fighting, I definitely didn't want to miss it, but it had been difficult to meet up with him recently. I hoped he wasn't getting along too well with Trishe....
"Hey, something up?"
"Sorry," I said, "Just a bit distracted." That girl was way too seductive! Once, she walked in on us one morning wearing nothing but a sheer robe! If I hadn't been there, who knows what might have happened.