The Goblin picked up the dagger just in time for the cat to leap on it and he instinctively called upon the Shield to try and prolong the Goblin’s life, then mentally cursed as he already used half of his available Shield repertoire. Still, the Goblin’s life mattered a bit more in this case.

The shimmering barrier came between the two and the panther crashed into it, golden hues shattering as it got bounced back in apparent shock. The Goblin seemed to be in a similar state of awe as it decided to not move or do anything much at all, standing still like a statue in a museum. He would need to reconsider his choice of future party members later.

He tightened the grip on his dagger, then ran closer to the cat while it still appeared dazed by the light show. “Well, don’t just stand there, stab it!” he shouted at the Goblin, thinking that just saying the words ‘Kill’ over and over again would’ve done a better job at getting the point across. After all, it seemed more like the Goblins’ modus operandi.

The Goblin seemed to gather its bearings and jumped at the cat, dagger in its flimsy arms. The panther recoiled in time to dodge the ineffective attack, at which point he decided to make his own move, trying his best to aim for the neck or any part of the cat’s upper body.

He missed and backed off quickly before the swipe of a cat’s claws could gain purchase on his arm, chiding himself for being reckless. While he had the security of the Shield, he had only one of them left and really needed to make it count.

The three combatants stepped back from one another, and the cat made another leap, this time aiming for him instead. He tried being more imaginative with the Shield he called up and thought about a dome-like structure he used against the fish, only trying to trap the panther instead of enveloping himself in it.

The panther slammed against the shimmering barrier and his claws went through the transparent film of gold, but the dissipating Shield delayed the panther long enough for the Goblin to attempt another stab at it.

This time, there was much more success as the dagger dug into the panther’s lower back as it shrieked in both pain and surprise. The cat turned towards the Goblin and it immediately ran from the panther, now without a weapon that still jutted from the cat’s skin.

The distraction and the maiming of the cat was enough for him to swipe the dagger at the cat’s neck, this time making a deep gash across which immediately spurted blood.

He wasn’t sure how he was precise with the dagger. He just wanted to attack, and his hands and legs moved partially by themselves to achieve it. He needed to target, and there was still a chance to completely miss the mark as previously happened, but a part of him sensed there was definitely more than just his regular skills at work.

The cat whined and tried backing off from the two, but the loss of blood and the dagger sticking out of the wound on its back made sure it was not going anywhere for long, as it dropped onto the ground shortly afterwards.

The Goblin and he stared at the cat, that seemed to just heave in pain and attempted to get back on its feet before finally succumbing to the wound. He wasn’t really sure how wounds were supposed to work, but he was definitely under the impression it took a bit longer to die than what was presented. Must be another facet of the weird world he was in.

The Goblin cheered at the sight of the dead would-be predator and just leapt in the direction of the campfire. Before anything could be spoken, the fish was already gone within the confines of its wide mouth.

He sighed. It took him more than a while to get the fish, not to mention using two Shields. With the two uses just now, he was completely dry.

He looked at the cat, a pile of dead fur wetted by dark blood that shimmered in the waning sun, and sighed as hunger panged in his stomach.

A red pop-up appeared just as the growl subsided.

[Mana reserve low, please obtain nourishment]

Hopefully cat meat had no diseases in this weird world.