Damian enjoyed the scenic journey back to the proper civilization. With an entire army and two third-rankers accompanying them, he didn't have to worry about monsters. In fact, seeing monsters roam freely in the forest was a welcome sight—it was good to see nature returning to normal, or at least as normal as it could be. The wildlife was still sparse, as many creatures had been controlled or killed, but some had survived and found their own natural habitats.
Encountering a monster or a large beast provided a refreshing change of pace, allowing Damian a chance to practice his mimicry spell to copy some of their abilities. He would go off alone or sometimes with a few friends to do this. As the main sensory type in his section of the army, he often reached the animals or monsters first, mostly copying their abilities and scaring them away when he was done; only a few aggressive ones required him to fight and kill. Which also earned him a decent collection of mana stones.
