The captain of the Praetorians looked down and saw a palm-sized sphere coated in red paint at his feet, flashing red light like mad.
It was a "smart mine" planted by Ghazghk.
More precisely, it was a T'au smart drone with its safety protocols removed and an Imperial Melta Bomb fitted to it.
"Hehehe! We got a visitor!" The drone let out a shrill laugh recorded by a Gretchin, then began playing a heavily modified Adeptus Mechanicus hymn:
"...Ghazghk! Ghazghk! Waaagh!"
The captain realized something was wrong and immediately ordered, "Retreat! It's a tra-"
Boom!
The Melta Bomb exploded.
The terrifying heat instantly reduced the Praetorian to a puddle of molten metal.
But that was only the beginning.
The explosion triggered a chain reaction. Thousands of "smart mines" buried nearby all woke up!
Like things possessed, they hurled themselves at the Necron Praetorians, blaring recordings of unearthly howls!
"Give me a hug, skull-head!"
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The entire underground passage became a sea of fire. The Praetorians tried to escape, but the drones clung to them like burrs, refusing to let go before blowing themselves up.
Better still, Ghazghk had planted "super-upgraded versions" at several critical junctions-large drones loaded with T'au fusion reactors.
Just as one Praetorian hacked apart a dozen small drones and thought it was finally safe, a sphere half as tall as a person suddenly burst out of the ground and hugged its leg tight.
"I love ya, Skullhead Boss!" the drone said in a syrupy electronic voice.
Boom!
The fusion blast turned everything within a hundred meters into magma. The entire underground passage collapsed, burying hundreds of Necron Praetorians alive.
On the surface, Sharpfang watched the footage coming through on the monitor and couldn't help laughing:
"Nice work, Ghazghk, old pal. These 'little toys' of