Aponi's Acceptance

"Kill Him!?" All six soldiers yell.

I look at them and tilt my head, "Yes, that is what I said."

Taking the initiative, the leader again speaks for the group, "There's no way we are going to kill him!"

"Not even if his death will save your lives?" I ask.

"...What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means kill him, or you'll die."

"What is it you're trying to prove exactly?!"

"I want to see if you all have what it takes to sacrifice one to save the remainder."

"What? But it's completely unnecessary; there no need for us to sacrifice anyone."

"Isn't there if I said there was? I already told you that your lives are on the line."

"Are you completely insane!"

**Sigh**

I look at them with a frown, "You people who lack insight have no idea about the true natural order of this world, and so you may not be able to see it just yet, but there is a method in the madness."

"What kind of method could there be to killing a man who can't even fight back?"

"Kill him, and maybe you'll find out."

"Well, we aren't..."

The Native American girl interrupts, "Wait, Bravo-1...Bryan."

"Eh? Why are you calling me by name?"

The woman scowls, "Because this mission has been a total failure and there is no point in using the codenames, but anyway...If that girl is serious, then maybe we should do it..."

"You can't be serious?"

"There's no point in us dying for a man that is probably dead either way."

A man with a deep voice speaks, "...I agree with her."

The leader, apparently named Bryan, turns to look at the other three men who all turn their eyes away but nod in agreement.

He looks on in disbelief, "You are all willing to murder another soldier in cold blood?"

"...Well, it's not like we're being given a choice." the woman answers.

Getting tired of their conversation, I interrupt, "Anyways, I'm starting to lose my patience. You see, there is still a lot to do before we arrive at Anchorage, so if you could hurry up, that would be great."

The woman looks at me, "I'll do it."

"Great, and the rest of you? Are you going to let her carry the burden all on her own?"

"I'll do it with her." The man with a deep voice again chimes in.

"Anyone else willing to do what it takes along with them?" I ask.

"..."

"Alright. Then you two better hurry." I point toward the man whose body has begun to spasm.

The soldiers stare at the man, "What's happening?"

"Simple he got bitten and is 'infected' any moment now he'll attack so better hurry."

If I am to be honest, infecting him wasn't on purpose. I was dragging the guy down the hall when a crawler jumped out and bit his arm pretty good; usually, that wouldn't be enough to 'infect' him, but he was already weak from the bloodsucking, so it took hold, but a bit slower than usual. That being said, my original plan was to drag a crawler or two in here, but now that this happened, it is a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation...desperate souls will make rash decisions.

'System use <Analyze> and give me the basic info on the two that said they were willing to kill.'

Name: Aponi Williams

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Level: 1

Health: 34/40

Mana: -/-

Name: Terry Allen

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Level: 1

Health: 44/50

Mana: -/-

Having got their names I raise my eyebrow at the two of them, "Apparently, I'm talking to the wall because none of you are listening. Aponi and Terry, you said you'd kill him now, are you going to do it or not? As for the rest of you since you refused to help them."

Using my blood magic, I release chains and once again tie the other four soldiers to the ground.

Aponi opens her mouth wide, "You're going to make us fight it alone, and how did you know our names!?...wait nevermind that doesn't matter right now. Just tell me, what am I suppose to kill him with you took all our guns?!"

I look at the two and shrug my shoulders, "Use the tomahawk, it would have been easy if you had just done what I told you when I told you."

Aponi looks at me and yells, "Just make my gun appear or something!"

"No guns. They'll attract the other crawlers speaking of which quiet down, or they'll come then you'll really be in trouble. Anyway, just use the tomahawk, or you can become a Crawler yourself."

The newly born Crawler shrieks loudly and charges the two closest people, Aponi and Terry. Aponi shrinks back slightly while Terry takes a step forward and punches the Crawler in the face. The Crawler hisses in pain but quickly shrugs it off. The Crawler rams into Terry, launching him across the room and sprints toward Aponi. Aponi freezes, but quickly regains her composure and brings down the tomahawk onto the Crawler.

**Swish**

The tomahawk lodges itself in the Crawler back causing congealed blood to begin leaking from the Crawler. The Crawler howls in pain but continues to attack. Opening its jaws it bites at Aponi's leg and rips into her femoral artery.

_______________________________________________

--Aponi POV--

A monster, this is what a monster looks like; I believe the pointy-eared girl called it a Crawler. I would have screamed out in horror at the sight of this thing if I hadn't told myself I would never scream or cry again after that day.

I watch Terry take a swing at the Crawler only to be thrown to the side like paper, 'How could it be so strong?! Terry is the strongest of all of us!'

For some reason, the Crawler seems to be deadset on attacking me. It ignores Terry along with the others and charges toward me, I raise my weapon and slam it into its back, but it doesn't do anything but make the thing howl for a moment.

The next second things get drastically worse as I feel intense pain in my leg. I lower my gaze to find my leg gushing blood, and I can tell its bad in an instant; this is a wound that can be fatal, and that thing is apparently infectious as well.

'Damn it! How was I suppose to know this is why that girl told us to kill him?! I can't stop now just like I've done my entire life. I'll just keep going...'

I rip my tomahawk from the back of the Crawler and bring it down again upon it. The Crawler shrieks but doesn't stop biting; I can literally hear the thing chewing on my flesh, making myself feel sick, but I can't stop now. Again I raise my tomahawk and bring it down, and at the same time, Terry finally arrives and tackles the monster. Terry, the Crawler, and the tomahawk all fly toward the wall, and with the Crawler gone, I look toward my leg. It only takes a second for me to realize how bad of a position I am in.

'Wow, I can't believe this is how I'm going to die. To a monster, I always thought it would be to a bullet...or alcohol poisoning.'

My knees give out, and with a thud, I feel my head hit the ground; my vision becomes blurry. I stare off into the distance as I see the pointy-eared girl slowly walk to the Crawler. The girl grabs the Crawler by the head and twists violently.

**Crack**

Just like that, the Crawler falls, 'It was so easy for her...why?'

The girl proceeds to tie Terry down with chains and leisurely walk toward me. The other members of the team scream for the girl to let them up, but she ignores them.

The pointy-eared girl slowly approaches me and begins to speak, "I stopped the bleeding and spread of infection for a moment, but that wound is fatal for a human with or without treatment."

I stare into the girl's unimaginable burning red eyes, "...well shit. That sucks." I chuckle.

"A bit of an unexpected response, but I like it...how was it? Was life as you thought it would be when you were young? I can tell you've probably had a hard time."

"...I guess so. I spent most of my life on the streets after my dad kicked me out and then joined the Navy to get off the streets...you know this is your fault, right?"

"Oh? But I distinctly remember saying kill that man, or you'll die. You were too slow."

"Yeah, but you didn't say it was because he was going to turn into a monster."

"I don't think that would have made a difference. Humans never take action until the threat is already staring them in the face."

I feel my body begin to shake, and the world starts to turn black. Gazing toward the girl, the last thing I see before my vision completely disappears is her two glowing red eyes.

Feeling myself slipping further and further away, I sense myself falling into the void...but suddenly, an enchanting voice rings out from the darkness, "Do you wish to live?"

I manage to squeeze out a response, "Who are you?"

"I am the Goddess of Blood. Do you wish to live?"

"...Yes. I'm afraid."

"Afraid? Weren't you laughing not long ago?"

"Yeah, but that's because that little girl was there. She seems like she would make fun of me if I told her I was afraid."

"Oh...Then Aponi Williams, as one who wishes to live, are you willing to carry a heavy burden in exchange for a new life?"

"I...What would you ask of me?"

"The apocalypse is quickly approaching, and the stage needs to be set for a stable foundation. This foundation will be beneficial for both my race and even a small portion of humanity."

"What part do I need to play in all this?"

"I need you to do three things: convince the rest of your team to give themselves to me, second the 'Moonlight' must reach Anchorage ensure its delivery, and finally assist Eira in building a New Anchorage."

"Eira? Is she the pointy-eared girl?"

"...Yes."

"Wait, with those things on board, if the Moonlight reaches the shore, won't a lot of people die?"

"Only in the fire of chaos can something new be forged; the Crawlers serve as both punishment upon humanity and the match to light the fire. This is why I had Eira create the Crawlers."

"But, it seems wrong."

"You were willing to sacrifice that man to save the lives of your companions how many sacrifices do you think is necessary to save even a fraction of people from an apocalyptic event?"

"...What will happen to me if I accept your blessing?"

"You will no longer be human; instead, you will be of the blood race."

"Will I be the same as before?"

"Not exactly the same. If you were turned into a lion, would you still act like a human? No, you'd act more like a lion. That comparison is obviously a bit extreme; in this case, most of the changes will be more subtle."

"Can you give me an idea of what would change?"

"It's not something I can describe to you in the time we have, but rest assured you'll maintain free will."

"I...Okay. I'll accept your blessing."

"Then repeat these words..."

The person who calls themselves the Goddess tells me the words, and I begin to repeat them, "Under the great blood moon sits the Goddess on the throne up high. The Goddess, the originator of life, has always been and always will be. As the Goddess gave us her blood, I return my own. Under the throne up high, I Aponi Williams pledge myself to the one True God, The Goddess of Blood."

With those words, I feel a dense liquid begin to seep down my throat.