Chapter 128: Blood Stained Armond

Their high-speed chase, however, soon caught the atttion of two guards. Startled by the sudd appearance of the giant gre figure, the guards, idtified by their badges as "Rear Guard," reacted instinctively.

They brandished their spears and attempted to strike at Todd, who responded with remarkable agility. Sliding to a knee, Todd evaded both spear thrusts, his movemt fluid and controlled.

"Sorry for scaring y'all, but I'm with the kingdom," Todd quickly explained, trying to defuse the situation. The guards paused, their confusion evidt as they noticed the emblems of kingdom affiliation on Todd's attire, indicating his alignmt with their own forces.

Just as the guards were processing this information, Ty ed the corner, his skeletal frame coming into view a few seconds later.

The guards turned their atttion to him, their eyes widing at the sight of the black skeleton.

Unlike Todd, Ty wore no attire indicating any kingdom affiliation, appearing simply as a naked black skeleton.

The guards exchanged a quick, uncertain glance. "We attack this one, right?" one of them asked the other, unsure how to react to this second unusual figure. The momt was tse, with Ty having to quickly assess the situation and determine how best to address the guards' confusion and pottial hostility without slowing down his pursuit of Todd.

The second guard nodded in agreemt with his companion, a silt strategy forming betwe them. "You go high, I go low," he suggested, both guards readying themselves for a coordinated attack.

Ty, in response to the impding action, offered what could only be described as a warm smile from a skeletal face. As the first guard lunged with a low sweeping strike, aiming to cut off Ty's path and mirror the maneuver Todd had executed, Ty quickly assessed his options. The second guard targeted Ty's chest, coordinating with his partner to trap him.

In that split second, Ty's smirk became more pronounced. He executed a slight hop on the tan slabbed concrete, placing one skeletal foot on the spearhead of the low strike.

The guards, still reeling from the unexpected evts, were further perplexed by the question of who won the race. The first guard, who had initially spok, tried to recall the fretic finish. "Well, if my eyes served me right, I think it was the gre guy," he said, pointing towards Todd.

Todd immediately perked up, his voice booming with triumph. "Yes! I knew it!" he exclaimed, reveling in his appart victory.

However, the second guard interjected, adding to the confusion. "No, it was definitely the skeleton, but it was hard to see since the Ogre is taller than him."

Ty, hearing the conflicting opinions, placed his skeletal hand over where his face would be in a gesture of mild frustration. "Great," he muttered, "They can't ev decide." He th spoke up, looking at Todd with a hint of amusemt in his voice, "How about we just go halfies on the beer, and we find a way to break the tie at a later time?"

Todd, with a contemplative look, stroked his thick chin thoughtfully. After a brief pause, he gave a slight nod in agreemt. "I suppose that's fair, considering I did get a bit of a head start," he admitted, his tone reflecting a mix of concession and sportsmanship. "Alright th, we'll have a rematch later. But for now, let's focus on getting today's tasks done."

With that, they shook hands, their camaraderie evidt in the firm grip. This agreemt to share the beer and postpone the tiebreaker reflected the strong bond betwe them, forged through numerous advtures and challges.

As they were turning to resume their mission, a figure in gold armor approached. The armor glisted in the sunlight, drawing the immediate atttion of Ty, Todd, and the guards.

Ty's skeletal face, incapable of traditional expressions, still managed to convey a smirk as he recognized the newcomer. "Oh, it's him, the Armond guy, I believe," he said, a hint of recognition in his voice.

The man in gold armor, hearing Ty's words, lifted his visor, revealing his face. "You're a bit early, but you won't hear me complaining," he remarked with a tone of mild surprise and approval.

Ty's atttion was quickly drawn to the stains on Armond's armor. The marks were unmistakably blood, dried and darked