*
After a few minutes of stunned silence, Kain spoke, “Do you plan to stand there all day? Get moving.”
Barsch, still in Maloch's sturdy arms, replied, “We are not going anywhere with you.”
“I was not asking you. That was a command, and if you refuse my commands...”
Without warning, pain consumed Barsch, as an invisible rope of pressure began to wrap itself around his neck, choking him. The rest of his body was pressed together until he could almost feel his bones cracking, as the force of the compression drove what little air he had left from his burning lungs. He did not know what would kill him first: suffocating from lack of air or his head exploding from the pressure. Either way, there was nothing he could do, but pray to the gods for mercy.
“Did your father not say to dispose of us in the reactor room?” Maloch said, earning Barsch's eternal gratitude. As quickly as it had appeared, the pain vanished, leaving Barsch to collapse to the floor in agony.
“Yes... that is what Father wanted,” Kain said, half to himself. Bending down to Barsch, he grabbed a handful of the boy's brown hair and wrenched him up.
“Be glad, human, for your pet has just given you a few more minutes of life. Don't waste them.” With that, he let Barsch's head fall, and strode purposely to the door.
Kingston, who had experienced the same pain as Barsch, managed to crawl over to him and help him to his feet. They were in a pitiful state, and neither of them could see a way out of it. It was then that Barsch realised how lucky they had been to have had Alza as an ally. If her strength was even a tenth of Kain's -which seemed likely, given their battle record- then she would have made a truly fearsome opponent. But she was gone now, beyond their reach.
And even if they could somehow escape from Kain's overwhelming power, what would they find? Even now, she was on her way to be... dismantled... and there was nothing they could do about it. At the very least, Barsch wanted Kingston and Maloch to escape. With their know-how, perhaps they could find a way to deactivate the virus, and save the rest of humanity from a fate far worse than death.
“If you are ready to die, then so am I,” said the Beast, as it slowly crept out of the dark place in his mind. With Lanista and his violence... his plan might succeed. Of course, beating Kain was out of the question, but he could probably distract him for just long enough for his friends to get away. However, for his makeshift plan to work, he needed the perfect timing, so for now, he would obey.
After getting to his feet, he quietly fell in line behind Kain, who looked back at him with a satisfied smirk. “He thinks that he has broken me. But he is wrong. When the time is right, I will show him what humanity is capable of... what I am capable of...”
Awakening Page 228