### 57

You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell Net and point your right hand at the snarling Demoness. A fluid gush of sticky strands shoots from your fingers and ensnare her legs, buying you the few precious seconds you need in order to reach the dais.

You wrench the Deathstaff from the lower tier and sag beneath its unnatural weight. In the same moment, the Demoness bursts free of the sticky net and screams with unholy anger, the noise lifting you bodily and sending you skidding across the floor.7

Desperately, you fight to maintain your grip on the Deathstaff as the furious Shamath comes striding towards you. The deafening shriek of her voice rings once more in your ears as you clutch the staff to your chest and take a running leap into the dark oblivion of the Shadow Gate.

Turn to 270.

#### Footnotes

[7] If you already carry the maximum number of Special Items permissible, you must discard one in favour of the Deathstaff. If you possess Helshezag, the sword of Darklord Kraagenskûl, it is now destroyed, obliterated by the power of the Deathstaff, and you must erase it from your Special Items list. Section 94 also implies a loss of 5 ENDURANCE points in this incident.