Mack knew too well how the domain runespell worked.
The domain by itself didn't cause any damaged only made all free Essence to be owned by the one that activated. If the caster wanted to do damage, he would need to use his will and manipulate that essence to cause damage.
But the domain runespell had a huge problem. If the caster was not quick or was not in complete harmony with the essence to attack or defend then he would become extremely vulnerable, because the body itself becomes as fragile as a pile of paper.
~splash~
One 'Mack' close to him exploded, and blood splashed all the way to where Mack was. The broken pieces of his body fell around in a circle.
The head of the men rolled to where Mack was, almost touching it. Mack looked at it and could still see the surprise in the now devoid of life eyes.
Mack hoped the caster was a newbie, but alas, the caster seemed to be extremely familiar with the domain runespell and acted swiftly, killing one of them right at start.
While Mack was thinking how to act, one of them threw a dagger at the caster that quickly rolled on the ground, avoiding losing his life.
But another dagger was waiting for him and lunged itself at the right leg of the caster.
Furious, the caster ordered the Essence to burn all around him.
'that's my chance'
Thought Mack, remembering what he gained at the previous gate.
The void flame.
Mack had resistance to fire, but that only applied if he could control the essence in his body, what right now he could not.
Two guys burned in the fire, but no screams came from them.
Mack didn't act rashly, he only made the fire not touch him and kept hidden under the effect of his argonian cape.
Even his scan runespell stopped working and he was only able to keep track of the battle with his eyes.
All the dead, until now seemed to be people that didn't have the argonian cape.
Even the caster of the domain didn't have the argonian cape.
Despair seemed to blind their eyes, or the caster actually could not pinpoint the position of the hidden ones.
'Maybe that's why he used fire, to make us come out from hiding or attack us all at the same time'
Mack was in an extremely passive situation, and he hated that, but if he acted now, he would become a corpse, just like those two unlucky bastards burning to ashes.
But when Mack least expected, a sword cut the caster in two halves, even though, no screams came from it.
They were indeed all like him, ruthless to the bone.
The caster was dead and behind him a man came from nowhere, already preparing to activate his own domain runespell.
Mack didn't delay and quickly turned off his cape and threw a dagger at the man.
The man stopped and ducked to avoid the dagger.
Mack was not aiming for the kill, just to delay the man and not let him activate the domain runespell.
The man was about to activate his domain runespell again, but now another dagger came from another place and hit his left hand.
That 'Mack' was done for.
He would not be able to use any runespell for at least a few minutes.
Mack, seeing this, activated his own domain runespell.
But at the same time, three other guys activated their own domain runespells.
A vortex of chaotic essence formed, as if the three domains were fighting to rule.
Taking the chance, three more domains were activated.
Only the poor guy with broken bones in his hand seemed to not be able to do anything.
And like in any moment of life, his fate was sealed because of that. One careless movement was all that took for a life to be reaped in a fight.
~splash~
Mack would not give chances to luck and blew away the head of that man.
But at the center of the arena was where the true fight was happening.
There, the domain of the six remaining 'Mack's were fighting for control, one trying to push the other back and at each second that passed the slightly red Essence was becoming more and more chaotic.
The essence, at times, could be seen with the naked eye because of the reddish glow it had.
Turning and twisting and pushing and retracting.
Mack never saw something like that before, maybe because of so much blood involved in the process or maybe because it was warlock blood, or even both.
Mack, for the first time, could see how his will really influenced the Essence and how it behaved because of that.
It was like someone that could see his right hand for the first time in life.
Unknown to himself, Mack was bewildered in that process for a moment.
It was one of those moments in life that each second that passed seemed to slow down, almost as if it was slow motion.
Mack twisted his hand and the Essence twisted.
All seemed like a dance of his own, so natural and so beautiful.
He looked slightly to the right, and the Essence concentrated more there.
Pushing and defending the other domain runespells.
Mack felt entranced by that feeling. It was the second time he truly felt connected with essence in his life, but his time, he felt a deep and strong connection.
One of a ruler.
One, as if essence was not a tool but was his arm, was himself.
Himself.
Mack too was made of essence. Every cell of his body had essence inside.
'Why try to rule the world when I barely can rule myself?'
And like a hammer hitting a glass pane, that phrase shattered all Mack true's one after the other.
"Hahahahahhahahahha"
Laughed Mack maniacally.
The others were caught unprepared for that and looked confused why that guy just suddenly started to laugh in the middle of a fight.
They were all versions of each other but all of them had similar backgrounds, not exactly equal, because that was the principle of parallel universes, if was identical, it would be only one.
As if to answer their doubts and to mock himself even more, Mack didn't stop and started to talk to himself.
"Thee years and it's like I never learned nothing! Three years! Three useless years!"
The others could not believe. Did he spend three years in the tower?
No one asked, but their faces showed their concerns, expect for one guy, the other 'Mack' with a black sword. His eyes instead became serious.
Mack lowered his gaze and looked at all of them.
"Sorry guys, I will have to kill you all today, but I promise, I will make them pay in your place."
With that said, Mack raised his hand and a white crystal could be seen amidst his fingers.
A crystal covered in Mack's blood.
"If you don't want Essence so much I will gladly take it all"
~zoommm~