Plot Manipulation (3)

A sharp, crackling noise was accompanied by a burst of electrical sparks as the mechanic bull's artificial eyes glowed up and down. Its movements turned dull and delayed. The electrified spear had overloaded its system and caused a short circuit.

Without giving the bull any chance to restore itself, Adriel pulled out the black ball I had given him. He shoved it into the bull through the open cut that ran through the bull's side.

"Step away from the bull now!"

I shouted. Everyone scattered away from the bull, which had broken free from the short circuit. Its fiery artificial eyes wandered around with rage as more hot stems gushed out of the gaps on his metallic body.

*Boom!*

The bull ruptured from within, blowing away shards of metal around the battlefield. The sound of the explosion resounded like a rumble of thunder, that reverberated through the camp, accompanied by a powerful shockwave.

Following this, the chaos of the battlefield had subsided, and silence descended upon the battlefield for a moment. But the calm was short-lived as the hushed whispers of the demigods turned into enthusiastic cheers, one after another.

Kai and Grace suddenly emerged from the crowd. As they made their way towards us, their worried expressions turned into relief as they noticed that we were mostly unharmed. They were surprised about how we had managed to defeat the bull.

I remained quiet while the others recounted the events that had led us to this point. Grace and Kai listened attentively, their expressions indicating the gravity and seriousness of the situation. After Adriel finished telling our side of the story, Grace and Kai broke the news.

"Truth be told, you guys weren't the only ones who were dealing with a bull..."

"What do you mean?!"

Eleanor blurted out.

"I mean that we were also dealing with another bull on the opposite side of the camp. They attacked the camp simultaneously from both sides."

It was already shocking to see one mechanic bull appear in the camp. But an instance of 2 bulls at the same time was absurd and suspicious.

The sight of a single mechanical bull appearing in the camp was already quite unusual. But an instance of two such bulls making an appearance at the same time was absurd and beyond that, suspicious.

As my gaze swept through the crowd, I came to a stop at the sight of a blonde demigod. He was staring at Adriel and others with a twisted grin on his face. However, his grin disappeared when he noticed me looking at him. He quickly turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

The voices stopped as Chiron arrived. His eyes remained on the main cast. After silently observing the surroundings and evaluating the situation, he made an announcement.

"Attention Everyone! Continue with your activities for the moment. A mandatory camp discussion will be held at night, after the dinner. Make sure you are present."

Hearing the grim voice of Chiron, the crowd slowly dissolved and everyone unwillingly returned to their daily activities. Those who were injured were carried to the infirmary while those who were exhausted returned to their cabins.

Everyone prepared themselves mentally for what was to come in the upcoming days.

***

It was already dinner time.

I slouched toward the campfire where the camp meeting was going to be held after the dinner. I was really tired after exhausting my stamina and divine energy during the fight against the mechanic bull.

When I arrived at the campfire, the dinner had already started. I got to my usual seat at the far back. I waited for Chiron to show up. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait for long as a rhythmic sequence of hoof stomping on the wooden floor of the podium drew everyone's attention toward Chiron. The chatters of teenagers ceased abruptly as everyone stopped what they were doing and concentrated on what Chiron had to say.

"I suppose you are all aware of the rather unexpected turns of events that occurred during the afternoon. As you know, two mechanic bulls were able to break through the camp barrier."

"Fortunately, thanks to the collective efforts of some courageous demigods, the danger was subdued without any causality."

Almost everyone applauded and cheered, only for a fleeting moment as it was interrupted by Chiron.

"However!"

Chiron raised its voice a notch.

"The barrier is a powerful and sacred force field that encircles the camp, infused with an immense amount of divine energy to safeguard it from any potential monster attacks. The mechanic bulls shouldn't have been able to cross through the barrier."

"This means only one thing-"

"The barrier's power is dying!"

Kai intervened as he stood up hysterically, deep in thought. A few demigods instantly understood what he meant while most of them were dumbfounded by Kai's outrageous claim.

"What do you mean the barrier is dying?"

"The barrier has existed for thousands of years! There is no way it is broken now!"

Objections rose from every head, as shouting and screams swept across the campfire. Most demigods were in disbelief as the possibility of the barrier dying sent shivers down their spines and the fear of being at the mercy of monsters spread through the crowd like wildfire.

However, Kai's next words affirmed his claim.

"Haven't you all felt it too?! The density of divine energy within the camp has been gradually declining for a while now. I first noticed yesterday, when I was in blacksmith. The flames, the power of which relied on the camp's source of divine energy, weren't as fierce enough!"

Chiron stomped his hoof on the ground to gather everyone's attention back to him.

"As much as I would have loved to tell Kai he is wrong, the things he claimed are definitely correct. The barrier is dying! And the reason for that seems to be the deprivation of divine energy within the camp."

Everyone shut their mouth as the revelation dawned on them. The inconsistencies regarding divine energy that occurred for the last two days only served as more evidence.

The silence lasted only for a mere second as chaos erupted once again with panicked demigods screaming, crying, and shouting.

"Silence!"

Chiron once again grabbed everyone's attention.

"There is no good in panicking! Pull yourself together and listen up."

"Beginning from this night, everyone will take their turns doing night shifts along the barrier to ensure the safety of the camp. During the day, an investigation team will be dispatched to look out for any abnormalities within the camp borders. Anyone who notices something wrong with the divine energy is expected to inform me immediately."

"Understood?"

"Yes!"

"Good. Then the names I call will be assigned to this night's shift duty. Others are free to return to their cabins."

"..."

"From cabin 1, Adriel Quill."

"..."

"..."

"From cabin 6, Amelia Elway."

"..."

"From cabin 2, Eleanor Aiken."

"From cabin 10, Grace Elsher."

"..."

"From cabin 8, Nadia Yale."

"..."

"From cabin 3, Blake Norman."

Chiron called for almost half of the demigods in the camp for the shift. It was obvious the situation the camp was in was quite dire.

"That concludes it for now. I wish you a good night if such thing is still possible."

The crowd reduced in size without any more commotion as most demigods didn't even have any energy to whisper, let alone argue, and just accepted the grim reality.

I had a quick return to my cabin to change my clothes into something convenient for the night shift. I wore a black trench coat over a classic black hoodie with cozy gray sweatpants. After grabbing my daggers, I headed off to the barrier.

When I arrived at the specified area, the rest of my team wasn't present yet.

The formation of the demigods was quite effective. Along the barrier, groups of demigods were strategically positioned at an equal distance from one another. The groups were based on the original classroom groups to make use of the internal synergy and familiarity within these groups.

I sat leaning against a tree and closed my eyes. I was sleep-deprived and the desire to sleep was only getting sweeter.

'I guess it doesn't hurt to have a quick nap till they come...'

My consciousness slowly drifted away into oblivion as my eyelids forcefully shut down.