The Dreamer's POV

The group continued their espionage, carefully walking through the open field, and approaching the huts, their figures obscured by an artifact.

They crept slowly, their eyes drifting about for things that stood out: Statues, weapons, artifacts and certain persons, then they spotted one, a hut much larger than the others, and fiercely decorated unlike the rest.

Lisa squinted her eyes at the hut, knowing that whatever inside would give them some clues that would prove useful.

Suddenly, they all decided to move to it. As expected, the hut was guarded, though scantily–with just two naked dragon kins equipped with swords–none of which matched.

Lisa looked up for the chimney which was absent, then she went around the large hut. There was only an opening, and it was guarded by two incompetent looking dragon kins, and incompetent they may be, there was no way they would go through the door without them realizing, and they lacked an artifact that could give them the ability to drift through objects. Things would have to be done the old fashioned way: Beating the guards.

She turned to two of her teammates, and they nodded and each slowly crept to the back of one. Unfortunately, the dragon kins were not as incompetent as they looked. One swung his overly large blade and struck. Though the body couldn't be seen, the two were certain that something had been struck, and they became wary.

The blade had come too fast and it was a surprise as they were certain none had perceived them thus far.

The other dragon kin unsheathed its blade, and the two took battle stances, drifting their eyes back and forth. The group made no sound, and gave no scent, so how was their teammate noticed? The dragon kin that struck noticed blood on his blade, and then a pool of blood which stained the corpse's body, ridding it of its invisibility.

Now, they were certain, some one or some people were around, however, was it just this one, or were they more?

The team were surprised by this outcome, but they weren't shakened, they had been noticed and they would need to act out fast and without alerting those that passed by which in itself was a miracle so far.

Lisa took the charge and approached the one that had attacked, again, it sensed a presence and swung its large blade. It came fast, but nothing too fast for Lisa, she threw herself back, bending the blade swept atop her. Lisa reckoned that the dragon kin must have sensed a change in the air, and was a veteran in battle, but sensing an invisible figure and fighting them were two different things, she still had the upper hand in this.

She rose up to meet the blade coming down at her. She sidestepped, avoiding the strike, and immediately, she dug her fist into the dragon kin's gut, driving her hand through its entrails and she extended the group's invisibility to hide the dying dragon kin from those that passed, though there was a hovering red stain presence which was still miles better than a lying corpse.

The other that responded lunged their hands at the dragon kin, and though the dragon kin could feel their presence, it was not fast enough to react, and the invisible man's hands fell on its shoulders, and suddenly, everything seemed to be growing much bigger in its eyes until the hut seemed like a massive wall.

The dragon kin looked at its scaly hands, and the legs of those that passed, and understood that it had been shrunk to the size of an ant. It went splat the next second as an invisible feet stepped on it.

The hut was left unguarded, and so far–even with their heightened senses, the dragon kin still hadn't noticed them.

Lisa took the door knob and opened. It was dark, extremely dark–the light outside didn't reach in somehow, and Lisa looked to the others and entered, the rest of the team followed.

The inside was pitch dark, no illumination to speak of, nothing, and they had not taken a torch or an artifact for illumination, and since they entered, they had felt no walls which was incredibly strange.

These disturbed the group, and though they took steps, it didn't seem like they were getting closer to anything.

'Is this the hut?' One asked, no one gave an answer.

A minute later, Lisa spoke, 'Whatever happens, just remain close.'

They continued moving in the darkness for about thirty minutes, and yet, they had not seen anything nor bumped into anything, and the group were becoming more and more unsettled by this.

'What is this? Are we in a dark maze?'

'We would have felt something if that was so.'

'We have been here for so long. What is happening?'
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'Is there a way back?'

Disturbing questions telling of the team's worries flew, and it was worsening the situation. They wanted anything other than the pervasive darkness, anything at all, and it came. The deep echoing voice that bore through the ears of all that heard.

"Welcome to my abode." The voice seemed to have come from all directions and it made everyone but Lisa jumpy. The team huddled and they looked about for who had said the words.

The next words would be the last they heard, "True Flames."

The all encompassing darkness gave way to a fiery light, and walls of flames burst upwards, engulfing the group causing them to wail as their bodies were seared.

All but one, Lisa Scotfield. She had a tight yellow ball over her, grinning as she struggled against the flames that wanted to claim her, a good thing she was resistant to heat changes, otherwise she would have gotten cooked inside the energy bubble.

"Struggle, timeless, but your end is inevitable."

"Listen to me!" She fought to let out the words, practically screaming.

"I know something that might interest you."

"Hmmm… Speak, but the flames will not extinguished."