Daniel Xander, Chapter 17: Ambush

"Switch!" Penelope shouted.
Too late Daniel realised what was happening.

It was June 4th. A few days had passed after Daniel's match with Cecile and right now, he was training with Penelope on top of the border wall.
Unsurprisingly, his release from the weights had given him heightened abilities. He was just as fast as Davy without his speed boost counter measure, but with his counter measure, he was about as fast as Penelope. And Penelope was much faster than Davy, so it was actually a big achievement for him. In terms of strength, however, he was still much weaker than both, Davy and Penelope. On the day after his match with Cecile, he had tried lifting a refrigerator from a scrap yard near the academy. He'd been able to lift it pretty easily which surprised him a lot, but it paled in comparison to Davy, who'd lifted a whole car with one hand, without breaking a sweat. And Liz of course claimed that she could casually toss around sky scrapers. According to Davy, this was actually true, given the nature of her Imperium, and Daniel didn't doubt it after he remembered his first encounter with Liz.
Penelope too, was able to lift about two to three tons, which surprised both, Daniel and Davy a lot since Penelope didn't have a strength type Imperium. It was all pure physical power. Daniel could see that training with Penelope had been the perfect choice.
Davy figured that the reason Daniel had been able to beat Cecile was with his speed. Back home, Daniel had won a couple of medals for 100 meter sprints, and he actually liked running a lot, so it wasn't too unexpected that he was more of a speed type than power type. He'd spent the days after his match with Cecile to train his speed boost. Actually, he still wasn't too in control of his own body. Once he activated his speed boost, his vision tunneled, which Penelope said was a sign that the body was still adapting to the Imperium. He had started training in smaller places or in places with a lot of obstacles. As a result, his whole body was still healing from several injuries because he kept running into obstacles like trees or old cars at full speed. He had to work on directing himself in the right direction in the most efficient way. Also, he still couldn't regulate his speed properly so he panicked everytime he shot forward and always ended up hitting slamming into something. His eyes were still adapting to his own fast movements. Consequently, Penelope had given him an intense training schedule. She'd said rather sternly that he'd beaten Cecile and herself in the same morning by chance. His body had gotten an immense physical boost after taking off the weights which had worn off just as quickly. Daniel had thought that she was being harsh in the beginning, but when he had smashed through a car and broken his ribs after not being able to control his own speed in the scrap yard, he'd hastily accepted that he needed more training.
Cecile and Davy weren't talking. Daniel felt a bit guilty, because if he hadn't been there on Sunday evening, when Cecile had been at the infirmary, her and Davy would surely have reconciled. Even though Davy had told Daniel to give it a rest and assured him that it hadn't been his fault and that the truth had to surface somehow, Daniel still felt a bit sad.

Right now, he wasn't feeling too sad, seeing Cecile stand over him with a smirk on her face. He was lying on the ground, his recently mended ribs aching.
"Something funny?" Daniel groaned from the ground.
"Oh, everything about you in your current situation is funny." Said Cecile.
Daniel pushed himself to his feet as Cecile walked back to the edge of the wall.
"Again, not too bad. But your progress has surely halted." Penelope said from the other end of the ring.
He was working on switching Imperiums in combat. Just now, a concentrated water blob had hit him in the chest with the speed of a cannon-ball. He was sure he had broken something again, but no, that didn't seem to be the case.
On the plus, his Imperium was slowly, but surely improving itself. Though his barrier hadn't activated in advance when Penelope had fired a water blob, atleast it ebbed away as soon as Penelope switched to physical attacks. The first 15 times, the barrier had remained even after Penelope had resorted to physical attacks instead of water attack, and without his speed, he had basically been a football for her to kick around. Now, as soon as Daniel saw Penelope preparing for a purely physical attack, he was consciously able to activate his speed boost Imperium and discard his barrier in a single act of stamping his foot. These small actions, like crossing and uncrossing the arms for repulsive blasts, were crucial as they served as a trigger for Daniel to activate his Imperium countermeasures. Currently, he was able to only actively activate speed boost in combat forcefully, in advance. The other Imperiums only activated themselves after the first attack from the enemy. Activating a countermeasure in advance in anticipation of an opponent's Imperium was level 3 of Daniel's training. Currently, he was on level 2. The level in which Penelope smacked him around until his Imperium switched itself as soon as he saw a water blob hurtling towards him.
As for Cecile, someone had forced her here. Liz, probably. After understanding that the crap Bartemius had fed her wouldn't do her any good, Cecile had given Davy and Sandra the silent treatment for a whole day. It wasn't really Daniel's place to judge, but he hardly blamed her and deep down, he felt some guilt over revealing the secret about her grandfather to her in a position like that. Though she hadn't openly been hostile when the two of them had been on their way to the wall, Daniel still believed that she was still colossally pissed off and would pulverize Daniel as soon as she got the chance. She was apparently here to observe the differences in training between her own tutor Bartemius, and Penelope. Apparently, she'd received permission to be here from Penelope's master, the guy who guarded the walls.
Somehow, Daniel still couldn't shake the idea of her warming up to him out of his head. Not that he particularly liked Cecile. After how she'd treated him, he had the right to be sceptical. But when he'd eavesdropped on her and Sandra's conversation in the infirmary... Well, he'd just felt that maybe, she wasn't all too bad. Especially when she'd admitted without a second thought that she had been in the wrong. Daniel suspected that she wasn't gonna apologize to him ever, but he didn't care much about that anyway.
"Pay attention!" Penelope's voice rang in his ear.
Too late. He recived a bone breaking kick straight to his chest which lifted him off his feet.
"Augh!" He yelled as he hit the ground with his back.
"You've gotten so fast, and still not able to dodge?" Penelope said, with a disappointed shake of her head.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Daniel said, breathless.
"You sure weren't." Penelope said, "I can hardly blame you, though, we have already had 50 rounds. Best to break this up, now."
She turned to Cecile.
"So, learn anything?" Penelope asked somewhat apprehensively. It occurred to Daniel that though she hadn't had a direct role in the Daniel Cecile conflict, she was still kinda angry at Cecile.
"Plenty." Cecile said, not elaborating any further.
Penelope nodded. She went over to the edge of the circle and picked up her bag and phone.
"We'd better go now. We have trained enough. And well, I suppose you may have something to do, given that it's a big day tomorrow." Penelope said.
"Tomorrow...?" Daniel asked nervously. What was tomorrow? A big day?
Then, it struck him. It was his birthday tomorrow! Though technically he'd crossed 15 before coming here, the differences in the time and date made it so that he hadn't turned 15 here. So what, he was gonna officially turn 15 tomorrow?
On the other hand, he really wanted to have a party, for once. A real one, with Davy, Sandra, Liz and Darius. And even Penelope, though he doubted she would actually come and celebrate. Would she agree to aiding Daniel in a sort of preparation? Maybe? Before he could, however, ask her to aid him in the preparation, a really loud blast made Daniel jump. Cecile, who had been on the edge almost fell back. Penelope just scowled in the direction of the forest. It wasn't really hard to tell what was wrong, though. A large distance away, right at the Egress site, rays of white light were shooting towards the sky, as if from a laser-pointer. Small fragments of white energy floated over the tree tops and made their way up. The Egress site was shining way brightly than usual.
"Tch," Penelope said, annoyed, "ghouls or vampires must have ruptured the circuit box. I need to ask the tech team for support."
She tapped the screen of her phone and put it to her ear. In a moment or so, she shoved it back into her pocket.
"No answer." She said, frowning at the light, "We ought to go down and check. Something is really weird..."
Suddenly, a roar sounded from the lower levels. Daniel looked down, startled and then looked at Penelope and Cecile. The two of them looked equally confused.
"What was that?" Cecile asked.
"We'll have to find out." Penelope said. She made a dash for the closest door, but before she could reach it, the door burst open and a haggard looking soldier stood in front of her.
"Faction Leader!" He said loudly, "Arthur has gone into a frenzy and knocked down the tech and assault team. We have no engineers left here to fix the Egress and no one can get past Arthur to summon someone from the city."
Penelope's face was a mask. Daniel flinched reflexively. It was as if Penelope was giving out an aura of fury which was infecting everyone around them. Cecile seemed just as uncomfortable as Daniel felt. What was up with Arthur? He'd looked alright earlier today. And was he really strong enough to wipe out the tech and assault teams? Penelope hadn't told him exactly how many members were a part of it but still, Arthur knocking down all of them...?
But of course! Half the members of the wall were in the Battle-stations in the sky. So what was Penelope gonna do now. He felt he ought to suggest something, but thought the better of it. There was no way Penelope was gonna take his words into consideration.
"The Egress takes priority." She said, and though her face was emotionless, her voice was steady, "If we don't fix it soon, we are going to get call after call from the Faction office. We cannot endanger the life of a technician from outside the wall. Arthur poses a serious threat if he is out of control. Getting a technician from the city will be too much hassle. For the time being, I will summon master to take care of Arthur. I will go out and give the Egress a temporary fix while fighting off whatever monster's attacking it. As for the walls..."
She diverted her eyes from the Egress and walked to the other side of the wall, squinting at something. She put her hand into the back pocket of her jeans, took out a small whistle and blew it. The air was filled with a shrill noise and Daniel and Cecile couldn't help but plug their ears. At once, there was a great scampering noise from beneath them. It was replaced by the noise of something scraping against concrete. Daniel walked to the edge and peered downwards. He was so surprised by what he saw that he stumbled backwards. The gargoyles with the eerie green glowing eyes were climbing the wall. At once, atleast a hundred of them climbed over the edge in a single horizontal line and stood in front of them. Daniel hadn't taken the time to properly notice them or examine them. His first impression of them had been fright. Now, he felt repulsed.
All of them had grotesque faces with barely recognisable eyes and mouths. Most of them had squashed noses. They were humanoid, and really short, right at the level of Daniel's stomach, some even shorter. Most if them were crafted with grey stone, but some were white marble, and others were black obsidian. Their clothes were old fashioned, mostly Greek tunics and sandals. The single line of them stumbled forward as more and more of them began appearing over the edge.
Penelope seemed satisfied by their count. She clapped twice. As soon as she clapped, they began running in opposite directions, waving their arms.
"That's one thing taken care of. Now I can summon master." Penelope said.
"What should I do, ma'am?" Said the guy who'd just come from downstairs.
"What's Arthur's position?" Penelope asked.
"He is prowling around level 0 and 1. He has torn a hole through the floor and the north wing of level 0 has been completely blocked by debris."
"Hm. We need a technician as soon as possible. My temporary fix can only work for so long." Penelope said, "I will summon master now. He will take care of Arthur and then, you can summon a technician. In the meantime, while master is occupied with Arthur, you will take care of these two."
"Understood!" The guy said firmly.
Penelope rummaged through her bag. She took out what resembled a gun. But the barrel was really wide. She pointed it to the sky and sent a red spark flying up. It burst and for a second, everything was bathed in a red glow. The second passed and the sparks subsided.
"He will be on his way." She said. She walked over to the edge, and prepared to jump down.
"Wait!" Daniel said before he knew what he was saying. Penelope stopped and turned to look at him.
"Yes?" She said.
"You reckon it's safe to go out there alone?" He said. The last time he'd been in the forest, ghouls had attacked. Though Nathan had taken them out effortlessly, Daniel was still haunted by the incident sometimes. Though he wasn't sure who haunted him, Nathan or the ghouls. Either way, he didn't like the idea of Penelope going out there alone.
But it looked like no one else shared his concern. Penelope raised an eyebrow while Cecile coughed. The soldier from downstairs looked offended.
"No need to doubt me." Penelope said coolly, "I can look after myself. Anyway, I don't have much backup with me here anyway."
"You have me!" Daniel said before he could think about what he was saying. Him, backup for Penelope? Seriously?
"You... back-up?" She scoffed, as if the idea was ridiculous, "Sorry if I gave you the impression that you were strong enough to keep up with me, but you aren't nowhere near strong enough, kid. Stop deluding yourself. Maybe, one day we can be equals, but for now, you will just get in my way."
Daniel couldn't believe she was being like this. It wasn't just what she said, but it was also her tone that made it so unbearable to listen to her, though he knew what she was saying was true. And also the way she was looking at him was really cold. She hadn't looked at him like that before.
"You are stalling me. John is here to help you if you need anything. I am off." She said.
"You think a temporary fix can do the trick?" Cecile said suddenly.
"What do you mean by that?" Penelope asked.
"What I mean, Faction Leader, is that a temporary fix might not even be manageable-"
"Get to the point!" Penelope snapped.
"Right, sorry. Look, I have a technician licence. It's a rookie one, but I am pretty skilled. So you can take me with you and while I fix the Egress, you can take out the ghouls. That is all." Cecile said all in a single breath.
Penelope raised her eyebrows. She put her hand under her chin as if she was considering what Cecile said.
"Fine. You can come with." She said finally, "But only if you obey my every single command."
"Understood."
"No engaging the ghouls."
"Absolutely."
"Fine. Come here."
Cecile shot Daniel a smug look and walked past him. Penelope grabbed her shoulder and the two of them jumped. A few seconds later, there was the sound of them landing. He couldn't even believe what was happening. Penelope was taking Cecile with her and leaving him up here? He couldn't just stand around and do nothing while the two of them walked off. What was it that was making Daniel so desperate to be a part of this operation? He didn't know himself why he was so agitated at the sight of Penelope and Cecile leaving without him. Was it because he felt left out? Or because he was worried about Penelope? But she could handle herself, so there was no reason to worry, right? In his mind, a vivid image flashed for just a second. Penelope and Cecile trying to fight off horde after horde of ghouls, unable to escape. There wasn't any backup either.
Before he could chicken out, Daniel ran over to the edge and jumped after Penelope and Cecile.
"What are you doing boy?!" Roared John, but he couldn't reach Daniel in time.

Public service announcement: don't jump from the border wall without a proper plan. Daniel bit his tongue to keep himself from yelling, but he felt terrified enough to pass out. Hadn't he considered that he wasn't as strong as Penelope? Wind whistled in his ear as he looked down at the ground which was coming closer to him so fast that he felt sick. Right when he was about twenty feet from the ground, Daniel did the only thing that came to him. He crossed his arms, uttered a silent prayer, and uncrossed them. Maybe, it was his luck or maybe it was because he was in a life and death situation, his repulsion energy counter measure worked. He had focused on pushing back the ground. The energy pushed back anything that Daniel wasn't in contact with. He felt a slight bounce as the speed of his fall was broken. It was as if his feet had been cushioned by an invisible surface in midair. Unfortunately, the fall still hurt. Twenty feet was still pretty high up. He landed on his feet and twisted his ankle. His training from the weights had toughened him, no doubt, but the pain still made his eyes water.
"Boy!" Came John's voice from the top of the wall.
"What?!" Daniel shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Come back up!" John shouted down.
"No can do!" Daniel shouted back, "Sorry! No elevator! And Arthur's wrecking havoc!"
"Argh! Fine." John said. He sounded a bit resigned, as if he'd had experience at dealing with stupid reckless teenagers.
"You aren't hurt?" He called.
"No! I am fine! Thanks for asking!" Daniel said back.
"Fine then! Get going before you are hunted. I can't come down to join you! I have gotta take care of the statues!" John said.
"No problem!" Daniel shouted, "I will be fine!"
Just then, Daniel heard a roar from within the wall that made his hair stand on end. A familiar voice followed the roar: "Hey, kitty kitty kitty! No! Bad Arthur! Stop!"
Daniel was sure he'd heard the voice before. But he wasn't sure where.
But this wasn't the time to worry about Penelope's master controlling Arthur. If he was as strong as Penelope had made him out to be, maybe there wasn't anything to worry about.
Daniel turned from the wall to face the forest and instantly gulped. This place was beyond eerie. It was like the scenes Daniel had read about in horror stories had all come to life. Daniel was standing near the wall, which was a area clear of any trees. About 30 feet away from him, the trees started. A thick fog curled around the tree trunks and completely covered the forest ground, making it impossible to make out the surface. Occasionally, a wisp of smoke rose up and formed a slightly humanoid figure but it dispersed just as quickly.
Daniel shuddered. He was starting to have second thoughts about this. But he'd come all the way down to help Penelope. He knew she didn't trust him. He had to make her see that he could be just as useful to her as Cecile. He took a deep breath and plunged into the misty forest without a second thought.

He would be lying if he said Penelope was pleased to see him. She was actually beyond furious. It hadn't taken him long to find the two of them. He'd just headed in a straight line and after a few minutes, he'd bumped into Cecile's shoulder.
"You think this is all a joke?!" Penelope bellowed at him, "Jumping from the wall? Hurting yourself? Following us? There are other ways to prove yourself! The only thing you have proven to me is that I should never trust you in the future! You are a reckless fool! You are really the most insolent kid I have had the misfortune of training! I knew my first impression of you was correct! Not a month in Anoterose and you have already started causing trouble for your senior! Listen carefully! We aren't relatives in the field! I am not gonna go easy on you! Peter wasn't ever this silly! Why is it that you...."
Her lecture went on for several minutes while Daniel just kept his head down and listened. Cecile was leaning against a tree and examining them with an expression of interest. Daniel was truly feeling dreadful now. Every single word Penelope said actually stung. It stung more than any insult Cecile or anyone else had thrown at him. He'd actually started to think that Penelope was gonna give him the special treatment because they were related and because he felt that she may have warmed up to him and maybe even started caring for him. Maybe, he could actually have the sibling he'd always yearned for. He truly wanted to prove that he could be her equal and he could be useful. Right now, with her yelling and all the things she said, he only felt that he was actually incredibly stupid. What had he been thinking? He wasn't gonna stand shoulder to shoulder with Penelope in a million years. He'd just deluded himself into thinking that he was somehow different than others.
"Faction Leader." Cecile said as Penelope quietened. It was too dark to tell, but her face seemed to be red from all that screaming. "We should get going. The sooner we get back, the better. For whatever it's worth, perhaps, we should take him with us. He can fight petty well. Maybe, he can be of some aid."
Penelope simply turned her back to Daniel and began marching in the direction of the Egress.
Daniel looked at Cecile confusedly. Had she just spoken in favour of Daniel? She however, showed no sign that she'd said something unusual, and simply followed Penelope.
"You just said something in my favor." Daniel said dumbfounded, as he walked next to Cecile.
"Hm? Did you take it to heart, Xander idiot?" Cecile said with an expression that made Daniel wish he hadn't said anything, "It was because we were wasting time and I didn't want to waste any more of it. So there."
"Right." Said Daniel. He honestly didn't know how else to react.
They kept walking quietly for several minutes. It was hard to focus on the path especially with it being cloaked by such a thick layer of fog. Time to time, Cecile would look up, as if expecting something to swoop down and grab them.
"Doesn't it get more dangerous the farther we go?" Cecile said with a sort of nervousness in her voice. Though Daniel wasn't really in the mood, the opportunity seemed too good to pass.
"Oooooohhh, little Cecile is frightened?" He said in a babyish voice.
"In your dreams." She replied in a murderous voice.
"Quiet!" Penelope barked at them, but didn't answer Cecile's question.
It took them about 5 more minutes to get to the Egress site. The Egress was glowing a blinding white and Daniel had to focus really hard to make out it's outline. Beams of light shot out of the top while small, cloth like fragments of energy floated around the area.
"No ghouls," Penelope said, "Something is definitely off. Better fix everything and head back."
Cecile nodded and walked to the the Egress. Daniel could barely make out her silhouette as the light completely absorbed her.
"I am gonna take a walk around the area. Better not move." She said.
Daniel nodded and watched her walk off.
3 minutes passed. Daniel just paced back and forth where he stood, trying to not bite his nails. The forest was making him really nervous.
Suddenly, the light from the Egress died out and it started to glow with it's usual fiery orange light. The temperature seemed to rise up several degrees and Daniel heaved a sigh of relief as Cecile walked out of the side of the Egress.
"We done?" He called.
"Yeah. I am finished." She said taking off her glasses and wiping them with a handkerchief.
Daniel nodded and looked up, feeling a bit more at ease. Something about the Egress' warm glow seemed to have made him less jumpy. His gaze strayed away from Cecile and the tunnel and moved over to the top of the Egress. Immediately, his heart-rate increased.
"Cecile! Get away from the entrance! There's something over you!" He roared at the top of his voice and started running over to her.
But he was too late. The beast jumped down from the top of the Egress and descended upon her.
Daniel was too late. Before he could even get close the the beast, it had already jumped down onto the spot where Cecile stood, completely clueless. It landed with such a loud crash that Daniel felt physically pushed back. He strained to see what it was as his heart thumped wildly in his chest. There was a huge cloud of dust before him. As it started to disperse, Daniel saw 2 bright orbs of light; 2 huge eyes staring right at him.
And Cecile...no, he refused to even imagine.
He couldn't move his body an inch. It was as if certain doom looked over him. He had to see if Cecile was alright. Otherwise what answer would he give to Davy and Sandra?
There was a huge rumbling noise as the beast pounced straight at him from the cloud of dust. Fear clouded Daniel's senses. He wouldn't be able to dodge-
Then, several things happened in a single second. He felt a grip around his waist and he was hooked off his feet. He was sailing through the air and he very narrowly missed the beasts jagged, razor sharp teeth.
Him and Penelope landed atleast 20 meters away. He dared not look at her, out if fear if provoking the beast. He'd just seen her blue hair whip out of sight in mid-air.
"Don't move a muscle." She said, her voice muffled, as if she was trying to talk with her mouth closed, "If we make it feel threatened, its gonna attack."
Daniel couldn't even nod. There was a crater right where he'd been standing. It was several meters in diameter. And in the middle was...
The worst part? It was beautiful. It was a lion about the size of a bus. It's whole body was made completely of diamond. It's mane was like a jagged and pointy garland and it's expression wasn't fierce or beast-like; but peaceful, with a serenity that didn't suit it at all.
And Cecile was....
He shook his head. No, he refused to think about that. But with a sinking feeling, he realised that no one, except for the most elite fighters would have been able to dodge that pounce from the lion.
Suddenly, there was a boom right next to him, and faster than the eye could follow, Penelope had materialised right next to the lion. She extended her hand as the lion looked sideways, it's face unchanging. For a second, it felt like everything was happening in slow-motion. Then, a blob of water shot out of the palm of her hand.
Another deafening boom, following by a spray of water all around him; and the next thing he knew was that the lion was flying over the treetops at speed that made it look like a blurry orb, and out of sight. There was a perplexing quietness as Penelope heaved a sigh. Had she destroyed that in a single attack?
Daniel ran towards her.
"Captain!" He said his heart pounding, "What about Cecile?! Is she-"
The words died down in his throat.
"Hm? No. It looks like she escaped." Penelope said, pointing at the middle of the huge crater. Daniel looked hesitatingly, half expecting to see Cecile there. But there was no one.
"The-then, where is she?" He said, looking around in bewilderment.
"Right here." Came a weak voice from above them.
Cecile Kress slid down from the top of the Egress. She looked a wreck. Her spectacles were missing, her left leg was oddly twisted, and her left arm looked bruised up.
"God, my eyesight has gotten too weak." She said squinting.
"A-are you o-ok?" Daniel asked, relieved and horrified at the same time; she looked like she was in extreme pain.
"Who do you think you are talking to?" Cecile said, her smirk turning into a wince, "Anyway, why are you concerned? I thought you hated me?"
"That's a very stupid thing to say, and so well to never utter anything of that kind again." Penelope said sternly, "Highschool rivalry is one thing, but never assume your rival would want you dead, especially when the squabble is as petty as yours."
Cecile looked visibly surprised. She looked down, biting her lip.
"Cut her some slack, captain." Daniel intervened. He was feeling a bit lightheaded now that he knew they all were ok. If anything had happened to Cecile with him completely powerless to do anything, he didn't know how he would have faced Davy and Sandra.
"I mean she saved herself with her skill. I think that can be commended-" Daniel continued but Penelope cut right through him.
"Yes, about that, I think I told you to not let your guard down at any costs? Then how do you explain these injuries? They call you Warrior's Academy's number 1, but honestly, all you've done till now is disappoint me."
"Oh come on now," Daniel said, trying to diffuse the tension, "She fixed the Egress and-"
"Shut it, stupid," Cecile muttered, still looking down, "Captain's right. The fault lies in me. Seems like I still lack skill and power."
"More importantly," she said, with her signature smirk, "Why are you coming to my defense? Are you warming up to me?"
"Yeah, in your dreams." Daniel said half heartedly.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was thinking about Nathan and all that he'd said. He'd been pretty stupid then, feeling sorry for the ghouls who would have ripped them both to shreds had Nathan not done anything.

For a second, the world shook beneath Daniel's feet. The three of them looked at each other bewildered, all disagreements forgotten. Then, they looked past the Egress, in the direction where Penelope had blasted the lion with a water blob.
200 yards away, the beast stood, completely unscathed. And it's face was no longer serene. It was contorted, and a million times more fierce than any beast Daniel had seen until now.