This Rae woman truly was far from the sort of person Elizabeth expected to find in the Slam, especially after all the years spent in the dark.  Self sacrifice was not a common virtue to be nurtured in such a hostile environment, where everyone's ultimate goal had long since degraded from escape and freedom to mere survival.  It took a special sort of individual to keep that sort of flame alive in their hearts, even in places where the fires had long since gone cold.  That Rae was new to the prison surely played some part, but few criminals would willingly be so suicidally willing to save another's life.  Especially since most of the prisoners were there because they had taken lives in the first place.  No, this one was different.  Law enforcement perhaps, before Falling from grace.<br/><br/>Not that such things mattered presently, when every little movement counted.  Apparently she still had some kick left in her, if Rae's flinches were any indication.  It boosted her own resolve to know that even on the brink of collapsing she was a capable fighter.  Resolve was the one thing she needed most.  A few open-palmed jabs towards the shoulder in an attempt to spin her 'partner' around and make her escape all the more convincing, then, grabbing the rungs of the ladder, a flip feet-first to the next level that would have made a gymnast proud.  The throbbing in her head and limbs was unbearable, but it was a burden she had to deal with.  Any more fighting and she wouldn't have the strength of body or will to move on.  It was Flight or Die, and she hadn't spent so many years training just to end things so unceremoniously.  If she was to die in a pit, it would have to be considerably more dramatic than this.  With far more explosions, preferably.<br/><br/><em>"Tell me, Miss Elizabeth,"</em>the Beast shrieked from below,<em>"Is cowardice the mark of the Weak or the Wise?"</em><br/><br/>The games were over.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Flayer nearly disappear, its movement so fast that it became a gray blur that latched onto the central pillar of the cavern.  With a dexterity normally reserved for insects the horrid thing scrambled up the rock, its limbs twitching in ways that would have surely broken the bones of any normal man.  The rest she did not see, but upon reaching the same level as Rae the Flayer would promptly kick off from its precarious perch and land across from the other woman into a crouch that emphasized the unnatural arch of its spine and shoulder blades.  The weighted end of its whip scraped against the floor, a heavy lump of black material carved into a lethal hook.  Even a flinch towards the ladder would surely bring it swinging down upon Rae's skull.<br/><br/><em>"You fail to disappoint me, my pet.  If you had actually listened to me and killed her, I would have killed you.  Congratulations.  All too often do the desperate follow orders like sheep, if they think it will help them to survive."</em>Flayer's largest eye focused keenly on the woman, while the other four smaller ones seemed to rove about the vast space constantly.<em>"Though, you aren't desperate.  You are not aimless.  Every word and every movement has purpose.  No doubt you are here for a reason that has nothing to do with a criminal background."</em><br/><br/>Silence, then a slow painful creaking as Flayer straightened up to his full, imposing height.  Every bone in his body seemed to crack at once, perfectly trained to cause listeners as much discomfort as possible.<br/><br/><em>"So to you, I pose a question.  If you answer truthfully, to the very best of your ability and without vagaries, I will allow you to escape without pursuit.  Lie, and I will lock every entrance to this Sector and leave you to things far worse than the cats that drove you here.  And I will know if you're lying,</em>he insisted gravely.<br/><br/><em>"What is your Ultimate Purpose in coming here?"</em>