Grom roared in pain. The little Gretchin in front of him had truly threatened his life. Luckily, the Gretchin's dagger was too short to be lethal.
Goldtooth realized this too. The Phase Dagger was so sharp that Grom's flesh and bones could not trap it, so Goldtooth pulled it free without trouble and prepared to deliver a killing blow to Grom's head.
A throwing axe suddenly severed Goldtooth's other leg. A group of Snakebites Nobz charged down the ruined palace corridor. They were Grom's bodyguards; he had called for backup while he was being mobbed.
The cunning Grom had prepared a fallback long ago. He had fought on Octarius for so long and only grown stronger with every battle because he genuinely knew a trick or two.
The situation took a sudden turn for the worse. The Squig biting Grom was Goldtooth's favorite pet, and it was remarkably clever. In that critical moment, it released Grom, shoved the Snakebites Boss aside, and shielded Goldtooth with its body from the other incoming weapons.
Grem's belly had been sliced open by the Phase Dagger, leaving him much weaker and slow to react. By the time he clutched his belly with one hand and raised his axe with the other, Goldtooth's pet had already taken flight with Goldtooth in its jaws.
Grem's curses and fury could not stop the Squig from flying higher and farther away. For the moment, Goldtooth held air superiority, and the Snakebites lacked sufficient antiaircraft firepower.
Feeling his entrails steadily spilling out, Grem prudently chose to retreat. Once again, his assault had failed to take Capello. It looked as though the civil war between the Orks would continue for a long time.
After returning to his own camp, Goldtooth sought out a Mekboy, the only master Mekboy currently on