829 An Unlikely Combo
It was a strange sensation that Gary couldn't quite shake off, a persistent urge that kept him sniffing the air. The scent was unmistakably emanating from the person in front of him. While not unpleasant, it was irritating, akin to the sneeze-inducing irritation one feels when sniffing pepper.
The tingling in his nose grew more intense, compelling him to cut the conversation short with this enigmatic stranger. Despite his discomfort, his curiosity was piqued, leading him to address the issue directly.
“The smell, it’s coming from you, why do you smell different from everyone else?” Gary inquired, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.
Blackjack, slightly taken aback by the comment, noticed Gary’s incessant nose-rubbing and squinting. It was evident that Gary could smell him, and with no means to mask his scent, Blackjack had anticipated this moment.
‘Well, I guess this confirms what he is,’ Blackjack thought, pondering Gary's unique ability. ‘But then, why doesn’t he know about me? If he can smell me, shouldn’t he know? Is he some young fledgling, or an omega that was made away from the main group in secret? This is a better situation than I thought.’
Trying to alleviate the situation, Blackjack waved his hand in front of him, futilely attempting to disperse the scent, which did nothing to alleviate Gary's discomfort.
“I’m Blackjack,” he introduced himself. “I was told that you had come to my cell a few times while I was away, and that you wanted to speak to me. So, I decided to come to you.”
Blackjack had decided to leave out the fact that through his own sense of smell, he was actually avoiding Gary for the time being, because he wanted to confirm a few things first. Otherwise this conversation wouldn't have happened and would have ended with a lot of blood.
Choosing to momentarily ignore the strange smell, Gary took a quick glance at Blackjack. This was the individual rumored to be strong enough to confront the warden, and one of the two who remained untouched by the three major groups within the prison. Based solely on his appearance, it was challenging to gauge his strength, but Gary knew better than to judge a book by its cover.
‘I was initially seeking out Blackjack, considering he had opposed the warden. I thought he could advise me on her powers, equipping me with the knowledge to break out of this place.’
“I wanted to speak to you about your fight against the Warden,” Gary said, getting straight to the point.
“Ah, it looks like we have come to each other at the right time, then,” Blackjack replied, acknowledging Gary's inquiry. “I have heard about your feats while you were in here as well. From my guess, it looks like you want to get out of here. Who would have thought of such an unlikely combo teaming up.”
Gary found Blackjack’s response somewhat odd but chose to overlook it for now. Blackjack, meanwhile, pondered whether to mention Gary’s power and how it weakened the Warden. Revealing this would mean explaining how he knew about it, and there were still a few more things he wanted to get done.
“The Warden is incredibly strong, a mythical type Altered. Her powers are close to one of the kings out there, or someone in the top ten in the AFC, just to give you an idea. It’s a fight that I’m not sure we can win. I fought her and lost, and honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone stronger than me in here. Still, if you want to give it a go, trying to fight against the Warden, then you are free to be my guest,” Blackjack shared candidly.
“How would I even fight the Warden? And even if we got past her, how would we escape?” Gary questioned, contemplating the logistics of such a confrontation.
“I have my ways. If we are able to weaken her, then I am able to get her to show us the exit of this place. As for getting her down here, we would need to start a large commotion. Getting into trouble with either the south or north group should do,” Blackjack explained, outlining a possible strategy.
Gary was not averse to this plan, as he intended to confront these groups anyway to gain the experience and strength needed. The prospect of facing the Warden alone seemed daunting unless he leveled up significantly.
“And what if the two of us teamed up? If it was us two against the Warden, couldn’t we do something then?” Gary suggested, exploring the possibility of a partnership.
“Me fight again? I feel like if I got involved and we failed, she might kill me for trying again. I was let off last time after everything that happened. I suppose I would be more inclined to try again if I was sure we could win. But right now, I don’t even know how strong you are,” Blackjack responded, expressing his reservations.
The two exchanged a deep, probing look, their fingers twitching slightly as if ready for a sudden confrontation. Both men could sense the tension rising, the hairs on the back of Blackjack's neck standing on end.
“I should tell you something else,” Blackjack added. “Us two, I think we should avoid being close to each other for long periods. Otherwise, it could turn out a little unwell. If we're fighting together, it’s not a problem.”
“Well, I was going to say, there is a way I can test out my strength with you if you wanted to,” Gary proposed, hinting at a potential challenge.
“Hey!” Blackjack snapped back sharply. “If you're thinking about what I think you're thinking about, then one of us might die in the process, and I’m telling you now, I’m an incredibly lucky person.”
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