"Where are those blasted potions?"
Ruby retraced the path he had taken from the last town, occasionally stopping to look for a faint green glow in the sand.
He couldn't believe he had lost the healing potions he'd bartered all that jewelry for. And to only find out now--half a day's journey from the last town. Just an hour before, his heart had sunken upon finding the tear at the bottom of his pack. A quick search through the goods he'd recently obtained-silks, bracelets, and perfumes-confirmed his fears. The potions were missing.
Surely they couldn't be too hard to find. It was dark, and the potions glowed!
Ruby continued walking and finally spotted a faint green glow. Finally! He'd been searching for an hour! His potions had rolled off to the side of the road and down a large sand dune, coming to rest far below him--and far off the designated path. As a frequent traveler to Essyrn, Ruby knew the dangers of leaving the road, and he had never once ignored that warning. Until now. Those potions were in extremely high demand, and one of his closest trading partners had requested it of him. He wasn't going to make this trip all for nothing.
Ruby started to walk down the long embankment and then slid the rest of the way.
"There you are!" The vials were unbroken, and after a quick check to see that they were still sealed, he placed them safely in his newly-mended pack.
A presence from behind made the white-haired man jump. He turned to face a menacing figure that had seemingly risen up from the sand.
"Oh dear..."