Distract the dragon and run

"Is all of this treasure yours?" you ask, stooping to pick up a handful of the heavy coins.

"I guess," the dragon says, shrugging his great leathery wings. "The sorcerer keeps giving it to me, but--" You fling the coins with all of your might, hitting the dragon in the face. He flinches and turns his head away. You run like the fires of Hell are licking at your heels.

The dragon snarls and whips his long tail at you, but you jump over it and burst through the cavern opening, out onto a grassy lawn in the shade of some tall cottonwood trees. You did it! You escaped! You glance back to see if the dragon is still chasing you, and stumble to a stop. Not only is he not after you, the cave opening is gone, and where there should have been a mountain or something, you see only a small, rustic cabin with a pale curl of smoke rising from the chimney.

Wary of yet another trick, you approach the cabin and peek in through one of the windows. Inside, you see all manner of herbs and crystals hanging from the rafters or stacked on shelves. You see an overstuffed chair sitting before the fireplace, but instead of a crackling fire, you see a swirling cloud of greenish smoke, with images flickering over the surface of the cloud. You can just make out the dragon as he burrows back into his hoard.

This is the evil sorcerer's home! It's not exactly the ruined castle or demonic tower you were expecting, but that doesn't matter. You shove the door open and storm inside, finding a startled young man standing in the kitchen area making tea.

"Oh, shit," he says, the cup slipping from his hand and spilling across the counter. "You got past the dragon."

"Where is he?" you demand, looking around the one-room cabin, but it's empty save for you and the strange young man. He glances across the room and you follow his gaze, to the discarded robes of the sorcerer lying on the foot of the bed.

"He- he isn't here," he says. "You should go before he comes back."