Artemis looked down at the Lantern in her hand, her attention still on the Lord of Shadow. The dragon's angry roar shook the earth.

[i][color=darkturquoise]Not fun when other people take what's yours, is it?[/color][/i] she thought viciously. 

Runes. Fire. Wood. Shadow. Stone. Dragonfire. [i]Invincibility[/i]. The thought was sweet and harsh, wine burning her from the inside out. Intoxicating. [i]She could kill the dragon[/i].

Her bright gaze flicked back up to the Lord of Shadows to see the scheming eyes of a politician.

[i]Keep your mind cold and clear, strike through.[/i] His words pierced through her and Artemis sobered. She was not some naive upstart with delusions of grandeur. She wasn't a fool. She was [i]royalty[/i]. Intelligent. Educated. The daughter of a woman who'd assassinated her own father and tied his body to the palace gates to end a rebellion. 

She would be cold. Her focus would be clear. Artemis would [i]strike through[/i].

The Lord of Shadow's question hung unanswered in the air. What would she do? Artemis considered her options: she could go to the dragon now, or bide her time, gathering her strength.

With the first option she had the element of surprise on her side -- well, as much as she could. The dragon already knew she held the green Lantern, which meant it probably also knew she had the red. But it didn't know who [i]she[/i] was, or what other powers she had. The dragon was still weak after escaping from the cave, and would likely only get stronger as time passed. And what about this champion? 

Artemis thought back to her tutors from years ago, and the few lessons she'd had on war. Because that's what this was -- [i]war[/i]. She was outclassed against a more powerful opponent, who'd only get stronger if left to heal. She didn't know the battleground, but she wasn't helpless. She had resources. Her long fingers tightened around the green Lantern, the memory of scales still itching along her skin.

When fighting against a stronger opponent, [i]wear them out[/i]. Be quick. Be untouchable. Small attacks over a prolonged period. Artemis likely wouldn't be able to deal a killing blow, but she could make it impossible for the dragon to gain back its strength if it was always trying to hold her off. She'd figure out her own new abilities as she did so. 

Artemis knelt down, gathering the cloth that'd fallen to the ground. She ripped a strip and grabbed the charcoal from her pocket and scrawled two sharp runes on the larger piece: [i]darkness, weightless[/i]. She took her two Lanterns and wrapped the cloth tightly around them, hiding their light. The forest turned to shadows. She drew another rune on the strip: [i]un-tearable[/i]. Looping the strip around the two handles, she tied it in a knot to hang off the strap of her bag. She hooked the bag back over her shoulders and stood.

[color=darkturquoise]"Haven't you been listening?"[/color] she finally replied, looking back at the Lord of Shadow. She could see him in perfect detail, still. She tried not to shiver. [color=darkturquoise]"I'm going to kill the dragon."[/color] She looked to the mountain, crumbled and half-formed after the dragon's escape. [color=darkturquoise]"Any other words of wisdom?"[/color]