You rejoin the Redridge Pass and continue northwest towards the canyon you hope to find.  You hear a shuffling noise and you could have sworn that the vines stemming from that rather bizarre looking cactus just moved.  Nah, just a vine on the ground... from a cactus... on a mostly dry and rocky mountainside... makes perfect sense.  You continue to rationalize this in your head as you walk along only to notice a similar movement from another cactii vine up ahead of you.  Suddenly you feel one of these vines wrap itself around your left ankle and sting you.

 

You pull and draw your sword but other vines have taken up the call as well and you are getting grabbed and stung all over.  You still have limited movement with your limbs, but you are out of balance.  The stingers must have injected you with something because you are feeling nausious.  You need to focus and get out of this mess before you black out or you might not wake up.  You look over at the cactii these vines are coming from and they have inexplicably moved closer to your position.  Very close in fact.  The needles jutting out from them seem to have perked up and gotten longer.  Whatever these things are, they've got you and you aren't about to become their prey.

 
You are still able to reach your sword, but with vines slowing your arm and your lack of balance you aren't sure you will be able to sever the thick vines that are holding you in place.  You could always apply some poison to it first, but just reaching the poison is going to be a challenge as you've stored that in your backpack.  You still have flint in your front pocket and a few pieces of tinder left, perhaps if you can get a small fire going you can push them back.  Whatever you do though, it has to be quick.  You can feel the venom from the many stingers affecting your mind and it is taking all your discipline to maintain your focus right now.

You apply The Poison First, Then Cut At The Vines

You aren't sure if you will be able to completely sever the vines that hold you, but if you can at least cut into them, the poison should do the rest.  Unfortunately, it is stored in your pack which is a little difficult to reach right now, but that isn't going to stop you from trying now is it?  You pull your right hand back and the vine that holds it pulls back.  Somehow, you think it might realize you are trying to get something and it seeks to keep your arm out front.  You continue to pull against it with all your might but you reach a stalemate with the vine just getting your arm to your side. 

 
The venom is starting to really kick in now.  In addition to being nausious you are now dizzying as well.  The only thing keeping you going is your sheer determination to live.  You bite and claw at the vine, you squirm, you fight, and eventually you get your arm back to your pack.  You are feeling light headed and you know you don't have much time.  You manage to get the vile of venom out of your backpack but in your situation that struggle took too much time and energy.  You no longer have the energy and wherewithall to apply it.  You black out and the vile falls uselessly to the ground.  You don't know what they did after that, because you never woke up again.

 
THE END