Housed within the nameless City was Dusa’s home the Pseudo Faux bar. It was one of very few places that people willingly chose to visit. One of fewer still that people felt safe within despite the risk being around other artifact holders normally entailed.

Most buildings within the city were broken down, destroyed so long ago that no one alive could tell you how it had happened. Dusa’s bar was however in decent condition and was housed close to the northern city limits between two other cement buildings. Hanging over its doors was a painted sign hanging from chains with its name. 

One night, on a night much like any other as the stars shone overhead, a hooded figure sat against the outer wall of the bar down its right side alley nursing a bottle.

The sound of paws scuffing along the pavement hit the hooded figures' ears. Their eyes rose briefly to see who it was before ignoring the woman as she took another swig. The sleeve of the hooded figure’s arm fell down revealing green scales along it giving way to fair toned skin along a feminine hand.

As the woman came in closer, it could be seen that she had pristine white rabbit-like ears laying flat against the sides of her head alongside long white hair and short cut bangs while black horns rose out of the top of her head. Her clawed hands were larger than her otherwise thin frame should have seated comfortably while her feet were the paws of a jackrabbit, the fur extending up her legs to just above the knee before being replaced with more human features along the rest of her body aside from her murky blue eyes.

The jackalope crossed her arms standing over top of the hooded figure with a look of disdain. “What the hell, so the rumours about you finding an artifact were true after all? I swear, what good will it even do you when all you want to do every day is just drink yourself to death?”

A voice echoed in the hooded woman’s head. “She’s right you know, if you just gave yourself a chance you could be so much more.”

The hooded figure’s left eye could be seen glinting in the dim light. It was golden with a slit right up its center. “Jusst leave me alone.”

Bending her legs, she squatted down and took a hold of the hooded woman’s shirt around her neck shaking her back and forth. “Why? You know as well as I do that Delisle has said every person with an artifact must go before him. So why haven’t you answered his call Tess?”

The hood fell back to reveal both of her golden snake eyes, green scales going up her neck with flecks of scales along her cheeks like freckles and hair matching the color of her scales. Losing her grip on the bottle from being shaken, it dropped rolling off deeper into the alley. She gave the jackalope a dark glare. “Fuck off Abby, I am not playing hiss games nor yoursss. I want nothing to do with you or anyone elsse, I jusst want to live my own life how I ssee fit.”

Rolling her eyes, Abigail threw Tessa to the ground towards the center of the alley. “No, you’ve been rude to me for years and for what? All because you think this is what your life is supposed to be and that nobody else should intrude upon it? No Tess, I am not going to leave you alone.”

Ignoring her once more, Tessa rolled out flat onto her back reaching out towards the bottle with her right arm, not even caring enough to get up to grab for it. As she outstretched her arm, Abigail stood on top of it with her left pawed foot. “You know, when I was lost like you Delisle gave my life a purpose and he could have given you one too. I can’t believe I tried to be your friend once, you’re the most worthless person I’ve ever met Tess. You don’t deserve that chance, nor do you deserve an artifact.”

Shooting Abigail a sideways stare, Tessa hissed up at her angrily. “Go back to your massster and leave me alone already…”

Without warning, Abigail sat down on Tessa’s chest. Her hands reached out grasping a hold of her throat squeezing at it firmly. “You know the rules Tess, if any of us knowingly let an artifact user go without bringing them to Delisle he will kill the one who let them escape. Unlike you, I value my life. And if it’s my life or your pathetic own that has to end then the choice is simple now isn’t it?”

Laying there as her life was choked out of her, Tessa couldn’t help but feel at peace. Abigail hadn’t been lying when she said she didn’t value her own life, but something always stopped her in the end from taking her life.

Eyes fluttering shut, her body involuntarily gasping for air, she reached up towards Abigail before her arm fell back down towards her side. It was then that a voice spoke into her mind as she was about to lose consciousness. “Live.”

Her eyes shot open as she wheezed. With Abigail’s eyes locked on her gaze, before either fully grasped what had happened Tessa grasped a hold of an ornate dagger hidden beneath her clothes and had stabbed it through Abigail’s heart.

In shock from the pain, Abigail’s grasp on her throat weakened. She looked down at Tessa with a questioning glance as tears streaked down her cheeks. “Why?”

Before another word could be spoken, Abigail’s body began to turn to dust before falling onto Tess and the ground beside her.

Gasping, Tessa rolled over throwing up. “Fuck…” Her body dry heaving, she eventually grabbed a hold of the bottle of alcohol walking deeper into the alley. “Is this really all I have to look forward to in this miserable life?” Taking another swig of the bottle she began to vanish into the shadows of the alley pulling the hood back up over her head.

The voice spoke once more. “This isn’t how it had to be, all you had to do was make a different choice.”