Watching Seth slink away into the shadows like he was some kind of assassin, Astra turned her attention back to the ants standing before her.

The large one might have looked tough, but with looks like that it was painfully clear that any type of evolution or abilities it might have would be in its physicality. Strength, endurance, resistance. Those were the main ones for goliath beasts like this, especially when comparing it the rest of its kin.

Flying brick, that was the term that best described creatures like this. In fact, it might not even be able to fly. She couldn't see any wings on its back, on account for its huge chest blocking her line of sight, but she imagined that even if it did have wings then they would be too weak to allow it to fly properly.

They had a brick of their own, and she had quite a lot of confidence that the stone giant Alexandra would be able to crush the bug, just like all the rest.

That just left the rest of them, and since their numbers seemed to be even, then it only made sense to take one each.

Starting from the left, there was one with a deep crimson carapace, the air around it seeming to shimmer with a soft heat haze. It was roughly as tall as an average human, and only had two arms instead of the frequent four.

Whenever it clacked its mandibles, small droplets of drool would drip from its slobbering maw. Drool that, when it hit the grass, scorched the area where it touched and caused small flames that quickly died out.

The next ant was on the smaller side, standing around 4 foot tall, maybe a bit shorter than that. It's shell looked softer than the rest, with a yellow-orange hew to it. However while the rest stood tall, in an attempt to intimidate them, this one seemed incapable of standing still.

It shifted back and forth on its feet, constantly flexing its claws and buzzing its wings excitedly. Like it was having a constant spasm attack or was having to fight for control over its body. All the motions happening within the span of mere moments, its erratic movements seeming like a blur.

After that, came an ant that was shrouded in a thick, rancid green fog of its own making. It wasn't difficult to see through the fog, but just looking at it stirred their guts as their minds automatically took in the vile stench it was creating.

It breathed heavily, each laborious breath spewing out more and more of this rancid concoction as it slowly filled the air. Wherever it touched, the plant life withered and died. Perhaps even by its own choice, killing itself to escape the torment of scent.

Skipping over the large one in the middle, the next ant in her sight had a golden brown shell. It didn't look terribly impressive. Not short, not tall. Not skinny nor brawny. It looked painfully average, almost like all the other ants they had previously slaughtered apart from its colour.

The only hint to its uniqueness was the sparks occurring whenever it clacked its mandibles together. Not sparks, like that of a flint and steel. Instead it was crackling sparks of electricity. As it worked itself up more, electricity arced between its antennae like a Jacob's ladder.

Finally, the right most ant was an ant that was, indeed, the most ant looking ant of them all. Was that too many times saying ant? Maybe, but there was no better way to describe it. With a blackish red exoskeleton, it was simply like an average ant expanded to the size of a Doberman. Unlike it's kin who stood on two legs, this one was hunched down on all six, just like they used to be.

It was currently biting chunks of out the earth, chewing and crunching on the stone with malicious intent.

Still listening to the ant colony clacking their mandibles and laughing with wicked glee, the expedition team exchanged queer glances with one another. The same thought apparent on each of their minds.

Didn't this seem rather... easy?

The first of them to break was Alfie, the bespectacled master of gases couldn't handle it anymore. He tried to contain it, but eventually it broke free from his lips as he burst out into laughter. It was not the cruel, arrogant laughter of the ants. Instead it was howling laughter that brought tears to the eye, as if someone had told him the worlds most hilarious joke.

It didn't take long before the others joined in, their stomachs hurting as they laughed at this supposedly intimidating spectacle of 'Ant Generals'.

Astra was the only hold out in this hilarity, her permanently stoic expression a rock in the storm of howling laughter. At least that's what it seemed like. In truth she was smiling brightly and laughing herself, in her mind at least. In reality however, she was simply staring at the ant with a glowering stare that held what it assumed to be arrogance. As if she was looking down at them for their weakness.

The heinous display immediately doused the feeling of supremacy and arrogance that the ants had been revelling in. Their clacking laughter quickly dying down in the face of the humans own laughter.

Astra couldn't read the insects' expressions all too well, but from the way the larger ant was trembling, she could tell that it must have been absolutely seething with anger. No doubt it was screaming in its mind in rage, wondering why they were not prostrating themselves or snivelling in fear at their terrifying presence.

It clenched its fist, its hand still trembling with barely restrained rage, as it clacked its mandibles and spoke again.

"Human... Laugh? No... Laugh. Human... fear... us! Human...Will... be... slaughter..."

The human's laughter died down, slowly but surely regaining their composure until they were standing tall once again. Without speaking or any coordination of the sort, they slowly shifted their positions within the group, smirks and devilish smiles plastered across their lips their entire time.

Without communicating, they positioned themselves perfectly to match their future opponent, as if they could perfectly read each other's mind.

When the last member slotted themselves into position, Astra finally let out an audible chuckle. Her pupils glowed ever so slightly, her heels rose from the ground ever so slightly as her calf's tensed with hidden, explosive power.

"For a mindless insect, you did get one thing right..."

Dirt exploded outwards from where she stood as Astra burst forward, leaping like a prowling lioness, she shot through the air directly towards the golden brown ant. Although taken by surprise, it still managed to react to her attack. It was just a shame how it decided to react.

More arcs of lightning climbed up the ladder of its antennae, its mandibles spreading wide and it opened its slobbering maw before spewing forth a stream of pure, startling lightning.

It super heated the air as it travelled, boiling it and forcing the world to announce the presence of the lightning with a thunderous boom. This force of nature, a symbol of the universe's indescribable destructive might raced towards Astra, striking her directly in the chest... before harmlessly rolling off of her.

Like a salmon swimming through a stream, Astra easily flew through the endless barrage of pure white radiance. It split apart when it contacted her body, before curling back around as if it was drawn to her.

Her body drank up the energy, her cells dancing with joy as it revitalised the spent energy and then some. By the time she had reached the golden-brown ant, her eyes were glowing a pure, radiant white as sparks leapt from the balls of pure plasma within her skull.

Finally reaching her target, she grasped it by the antennea. Her blackened fingers wrapping tight around them as she dug her heel into the ground to stop herself. Using the remaining momentum she lifted the ant from the ground, forcing it to cut off its stream of lightning.

Like swinging a hammer, she spun it high over her head before slamming it down against the ground. It wasn't clear what shattered first, the ground or its carapace, but the end result was the same.

Green blood oozed onto broken stone and churned earth, the only movement from the golden-brown ant being the sporadic twitching of its death throes.

Astra stood up straight, dusting herself clean and brushing her hair out of her face.

"This will be a slaughter."