The Amnesiac Luporine

"Hello? Earth to Reiji!" Elnyra shimmers infront of Reiji, waving her hands infront of his face.

"..." Unable to get a reaction from him, she is forced to send a jolt through his brain, kicking his butt. 

"Ow! What did you do that for?"

"Stop ogling and help her, pervert."

"Right Right." Hiding his flushed cheeks, he quickly rushes towards the lupine beastkin.

"Hey. Wake up." Shaking her gently, he tries to force her awake.

A sharp breath is taken as her eyelids flutter open, vision blurred with the lingering haze of unconsciousness. The first thing her amethyst eyes saw wasn't the cavern, or the looming shadows - it was Reiji.

A broad - shouldered figure crouched at her side, his white hair slicked back, his body covered in drying blood, a once handsome face, marred by a large scar, but his eyes were sharp, stubborn, watching her with a steady kindness.

“What’s your name?”

"Huh?"

Her words came out in soft whisper, broken by confused silence. Her throat was dry, her mind even emptier, as her gaze darted around the cavern and the hulking twitching corpse in the shadows.

"... Where... am I... Who... am I?"

Her breath hitched, eyes wide with the realization that there was nothing there. No name. No past. Just a void. 

"Does she have amnesia?"

"Oi." His voice cut through her panic like a blade, sharp but grounding. She turned, meeting his gaze once more.

"Don't force it." He breathed steadily. "You're still breathing. That's all that matters."

His tone was strange. Not soft - but unyielding, strong, and kind, all mixed into one. Her chest loosened. The fear still present, but she latched on to his voice, an anchor in a world that had been torn blank.

"... Who are you?" she whispered.

The white haired man smirked faintly. "The name's Reiji. Reiji Hattori, that's all you need to know."

The corner of her lips trembled. She didn't understand him. Not yet. But his presence was real, louder than the silence of her mind. All she knew, was that he had risked his life to save hers, he was an anchor in this empty world. 

"Uh Reiji... hate to interrupt... but you really should look behind you." The translucent blue form of Elnyra turned pale, even more than before.

Shifting around, both Reiji and the girl stared in shock, their eyes practically frozen by the horror before them.

The cavern fell silent.

The pulsing glow of purple along the veins in the wall disappeared. The minotaur's massive body still slumped against the shattered stone, black blood pooling beneath it, began boiling. 

The corpse twitched. Once. Twice. 

Then all at once, itls muscle fibers began contracting and expanding, all over it's body, as if giant maggots were moving around underneath it's skin. A low wet tearing sound filled the cavern. Flesh split. The stench doubled, then tripled, the smell of rust and rot that stung his throat.

Then came the sound - as if all it's bones snapped in unison.

The Minotaur's corpse rose.

Neither alive or dead. It's remaining eye, once faintly red now glowed, a sickly, alien violet, no longer tethered to rage, but something far sinister. It's jaw unhinged with a grotesque crack, letting out an alien shriek.

The cavern walls shook from it's cry, dust and stalactite rained down.

"What the hell?" Reiji's fist clenched. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait."

The Minotaur's body was grotesquely wrong. It's arms now too long, claws blackened, dripping with venom, ribs pushed out like jagged armor plates. It's first broken horn twisting into a spiral, radiant an aura that tore away at sanity itself.

Elnyra flickered beside him, her usual calm broken by desperation. "... an Outer Beast... No. We're too late. You need to get out of here Reiji. Forget the girl, run!"

"No. I’m not going to leave her by herself." Squaring his shoulders, Reiji steps forward, placing himself between the revived Outer Beast and the girl behind him.

“But-”

“If you have time to protest, help me figure out how to get through this.” 

The monster lurched forward, on all fours, it’s footsteps heavier, pressure crushing down on the living beings infront of it. Reiji braced himself, knowing full well, that he was fighting at minimal strength, having less than half his Ki and HP.

Roaring, it slammed into Reiji. It’s curved horn piercing through his Ki enhanced guard. Spitting blood, he counters, with an uppercut, not using skills to conserve his Ki, making up for his lack of power, through sheer number of blows.

Multiple cracks rang out, as his fist met the horn. Blood splattered all over the cavern floor, as his torn up fist rested at his side.

“Dammit. Its even tougher than before.”

Gathering as much Ki into his leg, he lashed out with a glowing high kick, slicing into the wriggling neck muscle. His feet bounced back, numbed, shaking from the tough hide. The blow would have shattered a boulder, but the beast barely staggered.

It's body was like iron, muscles knotted with unnatural strength. A purple glow pulsed from beneath it's skin, and shone out of the cavity in it’s head.

The fight continued, a flurry of blows exchanging between the two. Reiji slowly losing ground, unable to hold on, as the flow of battle veered in favor of the Beast.

“Tch. This isn’t gonna end well.”

Beads of sweat trickled down his face, his once cocky expression now taught, teeth gritting constantly. Then it happened. Reiji faltered, his knee giving out, unsure if it was a lack of stamina, or fatigue built up from the previous match, his will refused to yield, but his body gave out first.

The horn pierced through his shoulder, white hot pain, racked through his body, setting it on fire, reeling with pain, his body is skewered against the cavern wall, like a ragdoll.

“Gah”

His screams reverberated out of the cavern. Loud enough to travel down the mountain.

With his free hand, he locks the horn in an iron vice, refusing to let the beast draw back, each unsuccessful attempt drawing spurts of blood from his mouth.

“If only I had more Ki and HP, I could fight.”

“I can get you both, but it’ll cost you.” Elnyra’s voice rang in his head. Desperately warning him.

“Just do it!” He roared, defiantly, anything was better than dying.

“I’m going to force you into a new class!”

Swiping through his status window, Elnyra inputs a list of commands.

A bright white light showers over Reiji, surging him with strength. Bringing up his legs, he slams them into the beast, slicing open his own shoulder in the process. A red arc of blood shoots into the air. 

But the wound begins closing immediately as Reiji lands, his Ki Heal activating.

“It’s time for round two.”