escordvi | Player Plot: Great Ape Nappa

Entry tags:

Player Plot: Great Ape Nappa

Who: Nappa, Zelda, Darin, Emet-Selch, Miriam, Gohan, Sonic, Ranma Saotome

Status: Closed to those participating in the event.

Where: Nappa's hideout in a less-populated area of Elah.

What: Looking for an illicit payday, Nappa kidnaps Zelda to hold her for ransom. However, he makes sure the pay-off happens on the night of the full moon, so he can play his trump card if things go south...

Warnings: Gonna be violence.

[ooc: Will be adding toplevels throughout the day as I'm going to be travelling overnight and trying to pace myself.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Maybe Darin's noticed Zelda's been gone longer than expected. Maybe he even heard that someone got nabbed off the street. Or maybe the message is a complete surprise, when it comes in. A video, live. Zelda, tied to a chair, in an unfamiliar location. The camera lingers on her for a moment just so Darin can see that it's live, before it swings back to Nappa's leering mug.]

Just wanted to make sure I got your undivided attention. You and me got some business to discuss.

[Darin doesn't usually keeps tabs on Zelda. Though, given her penchant for being reckless, he might want to consider starting. So, the call does take him by surprise. For a second, he thinks it's a gag. He's confused. There's only one person he could think of who would attempt to harm Zelda, and tying her up like this was not the way he'd expect him to do it.]

[When Nappa turns the camera his way, though? The confusion fades.]

...'Business?'

[Humoring him right now is about the only way he's going to be able to keep his cool.]

Do you have any idea what you're doing right now? You don't want this, Nappa.

[While Darin is—barely—keeping his cool, his warning to Nappa unleashes months of pent-up rage.]

NO, THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG, SHORTSTACK!

I've wanted this since you tossed me through a damn WINDOW! You don't wound the pride of a Saiyan Elite without there bein' consequences.

[Nappa takes a second to compose himself. He's in control. He's the Boss.]

Heh, you know, it's her own damn fault she's in this mess. I stuck around that party, had a real nice chat with her over drinks. 'Course, she'd already knocked back more than a few by the time I bumped into her. Made her real chatty, real chatty. Interesting topics of conversation about how successful your business is. With all that bed-buyin' money and all.

Now I ask you, what was an old space pirate like me supposed to do? Just let that opportunity pass by? Nah. Saiyans take what we want, when we want it. And I want your fortune. Good news is, you let me have it, you get your girl back, safe and sound.

Only way this goes wrong is if you make it go wrong.

[Darin...can't believe what he's hearing. He just wants money? Nevermind the blatant victim-blaming, what the hell was this idiot's plan? Where did he think he'd go with his money? Darin still had his forge!]

[But no, it's the way he talks about Zelda that gets under his skin. Like she's some possession or a tool or...that her title is all there is to her.]

Don't act like it's her fault. You said it yourself, you've wanted this since I publicly humiliated you. She's a means to an end because if you had the stones you'd come at me yourself.

But you won't. Because you know what'll happen.

But let's play a fun little game of "what if" shall we??

[There's a noticeable shift in Darin's tone and Zelda might be able to hear it. There's an edge that's never been there before. Something focused and barely restrained.]

What if I give you all of my money? What then? I still have my forge. I still have my work. You gonna come knocking around every couple of months when you need a handout? And you think I'll let you?

Either way, if you want anything I need to come meet you, don't I? Do you really want me to humiliate you again? Want me to bring a camera so everyone can watch?

[It's been almost a year since Darin let his arrogance and defiance show so plainly. This is what he was like back on Anmaral— when bullies threw their weight around he was the first one to egg them on.]

Don't be an idiot. I am telling you, you don't want me to get mad. Let her go now and I'll forget this happened.

[If Zelda catches it, Nappa doesn't. He doesn't know Darin nearly well enough to detect the shift in his tone. Instead, Darin's anger only feeds his arrogance. Oh, he loves when they try to puff themselves up. Make themselves look bigger. Like a threat. Darin thinks he's got Nappa all figured out, but he doesn't know where that road always ends; entire planets reduced to burning ruins under the light of a full moon.]

You caught me by surprise. I'll give ya that. Had to rethink things a little. Keep your little forge, the hell do I care about that, huh? I just need a nest egg. A little capital to get things movin'. My own ship. My own crew. It's my turn to be the big shot now, and you're gonna provide the funds that'll get me started. I sure as hell wasn't gonna run errands or do someone else's busywork, not when I can just take what I want from you. I'm done takin' orders from anyone!

So you'll deliver the money here, tomorrow night, but let it never be said the Mighty Nappa isn't gracious in victory, so I'll give you that long to get my money ready. I'll send you another message after dark tellin' you where to go. And since I know you think you got this all figured out...you should know I got some help of my own. oh, Vegeeeeeeeeetaaaaaaaaa~!"

[Nappa turns the camera back to Zelda, just in time for something big, bulbous, green and vaguely plant-like rising up over her shoulder, like it had been clinging hidden to the back of the chair until he called. Red, beady eyes and a toothy, shit-eating grin as Vegeta the Saibaman comes into view, resting a three-clawed hand on her shoulder.]

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

[Darin has to audibly and visibly take a long, slow breath. He can feel his anger spiking. Just the way Nappa talks, the way he's so flagrantly ignoring Darin's warnings...]

[Darin hates being forced to fight. He hates being backed into a corner because only he knows what he's capable of. When he fights, it's on his terms. He's the one who acts. But he can hear it in Nappa's voice. There's no talking him down. He wants money. Money. Of all the stupid things to threaten harm over someone for...]

[And that's the thing. Normally, Darin would just throw the money at Nappa and be done with it. But he knows Nappa's type. He'll do this again. The next time he thinks he can score big, Zelda will just be another target. And that? That fact alone lights something inside of him. Something dark and heavy. It eats at him— gnaws at the inside of his ribcage like a plague of rodents.]

[He can practically hear Zelda in his mind telling him not to pay the ransom. That he worked so hard for this money, for this life, and that he shouldn't throw it away for her. And Darin's inclined to agree, for another reason entirely.]

[When he speaks, there's no mirth. It's a tone Darin never takes. It's cold and weirdly placid.]

Answer me this:

What do you plan to do if I show up without the money?

[He's almost positive of the answer. But he's holding the fuse up and handing Nappa the lighter willingly.]

[The camera remains on the Saibaman and captive princess for a moment. Darin's really gonna push this, huh?. Meanwhile Darin's stillness, his lack of anger fails to penetrate Nappa's arrogance. He's already won, after all.]

You really wanna know? Fine. You come here, thinking you're gonna be the hero, and save the day without my money? I give a command to Vegeta here. See, Saibamen are bioengineered lifeforms we Saiyans created. We used 'em to soften up targets. They're dumb, but loyal. Not a danger to a guy like you maybe, but like I said...loyal.

So you come here without my money or someone who ain't me comes with five feet of Vegeta here, he self-detonates. That means he'll explode, won't ya, ya dummy? And let me tell you, when a Saibaman goes, that's a lotta pent up energy bein' released. Anything caught in his blast radius is gonna have a real bad time. Especially anything he happens to be, heh, latched onto.

[The camera turns back to Nappa. He's still leering with all the confidence of someone who's already won, put Darin in checkmate.

And then I give you the beating of a lifetime while you're bawling your eyes out over your girl bein' space dust.

[It's said with swagger, but also complete and utter confidence. There's a certainty in Nappa's voice that if he and Darin fight again, Nappa will win.]

...So you'll kill her.

You'll kill her over a handful of dubloons if I don't show up with...what was it?

"My entire fortune?"

[His voice, for only an instant, sounds almost mocking. Like this is so stupid it beggars belief. But the fact of the matter is, the only times Darin has ever gotten this mad was when he was in the heat of a fight. Where his adrenaline was already pumping— his heart pounding in his ears. This slow build is...different. It feels like a rubberband being wound around the tip of a finger. Never quite snapping but creating that weird heat and pressure you feel when the finger starts to discolor.]

...Fine. You'll get it, Nappa. You'll get exactly what you need.

[Money? He's never cared about that. He'd just as soon have nothing. The only reason he has so much money is because he doesn't care about it. All he needs is enough to keep the forge afloat and food on the table. He doesn't charge exorbitant prices for his work because he doesn't like putting a set value to it. And half the money comes from clients he personally knows. Clients who won't allow him to work pro bono.]

[Darin doesn't care about money. No, Darin's fortune is Zelda and that big, stupid bastard already has her.]

[That's fine. Because the idiot is going to give him an entire day to let his anger fester. He held up the fuse and Nappa lit it without realizing what it was attached to.]

When this is over, I don't expect you to be darkening our doorstep ever again.

[It's not a question. It's not a request. It's a promise.]

Kid, you don't get it, do you? I've killed planets worth of people, so yeah, I think one more broad ain't gonna be too hard.

[Darin is throwing out all manner of danger signs, but Nappa can't see them. He's enjoying this; this is what it means to be a Saiyan. It feels good to be able to indulge like this after so long. Months planning here, and before that stuck in his pod, travelling to Earth. But now he has an enemy, and a goal, and a prize in sight, and it's all for him. No Vegeta, no Frieza to split the money with. A fortune that Nappa will use to make himself the biggest, baddest, most dangerous pirate on these seas. That'll show them. That'll show them all.]

Ha! When this is over, I'll have way bigger fish than you to fry, chump. But you've got work to do, don't ya? So get to it!

[Nappa will cut it there. If Vegeta watches the broad, he can get some training in...]

[A day passes...]

[Darin doesn't know if Nappa was bluffing or not. He definitely had strength, that's for sure. And in his experience, it doesn't take a lot to kill people. People are unexpectedly fragile, even without special powers or abilities. Nappa might boast but his bravado shrieks of someone who'd take a life.]

[And now he has Zelda at proverbial gunpoint. All for his money. All because Darin was stupid and acted untouchable.]

[That's right. He'd spent the last day blaming himself rather than blaming Nappa. Maybe if he'd been better about hiding the money he'd made...if he hadn't crossed Nappa at Ghoul's Moon, it wouldn't have painted a target on Zelda's back. Now she's in danger and it's his fault.]

[That internalized anger has been churning inside of him like a storm. He hasn't slept. He's just felt...wrong. Everything felt wrong.]

[He spent the day almost rehearsing how he'd approach Nappa. Should he give him money? Zelda would never forgive herself if Darin lost everything because Nappa kidnapped her. Should he play a trick? Nappa seemed plenty stupid and short sighted but, the second Nappa saw there was no money, there'd be a fight anyway.]

[So, why complicate things? That wasn't Darin's style. Instead he, had a better idea.]

[At the appointed time, Darin makes his way to Nappa's cabin. No money on his person but the chip on his shoulder threatens to tear him in two. He stops far enough away from the cabin that Darin knows Nappa can hear him.]

Alright, over-muscled piece of garbage! Get your tailed ass out here right now. I've got a proposition for you!

Nappa spends much of the day training, in true Saiyan fashion; a warrior never misses an opportunity to improve himself. But when the skies begin to darken he returns to the cabin, and ignoring Zelda and his Saibamen, sits by a window and watches the sky.

Slowly, the full moon begins to rise.

Part of the reason Nappa picked this run down, abandoned cabin; it's out of the way and has an uninterrupted view of the sky. That's important. He sends Darin the location, and then stares at the moon. He has to measure his intake of Blutz waves carefully; take in too much too fast and he'll spoil the surprise. But don't take in just enough, he might not have time during the fight to close the deal. But Nappa's an old hand at this, and even if the Blutz Waves given off by Escordvi's moon feel different, there's no mistaking the power Nappa feels welling up inside him. Just before it would become irreversible however, he turns away, rubbing his eyes.

In response to Darin's call-out, the cabin door explodes outwards with a kick from Nappa, flying past Darin and crashing into the nearby brush. The Saiyan fills the doorframe, thanks to his size and Frieza Force armour. He steps out...there's no money. Not that Nappa can see. The kid's really going to push this, isn't he?

Good.

"I don't think so!" He calls back. "No deals, no compromises. There's only one way forward, and that's with a sack'a money in my hands. And I don't like bein' kept waiting!" His eyes narrow.

"Where's my money, punk?!"

Darin doesn't flinch as the door whips by, nearly clipping him as it flips, end over end, into the brush behind him. His eyes are locked on Nappa, barely keeping his temper in check.

"What, you think I could carry around that much money? You're as stupid as you are ugly!"

He reaches into the inside of his coat and pulls out two things. A ledger and a set of keys.

"Keys to my forge with every rare material I've managed to accumulate and a ledger that shows where every single one of my dubloons is invested. With the info in here, you can withdraw the money yourself."

He tucks the keys and ledger back into his coat.

"But that's where my proposition comes in. You want this so bad that you took the coward's way and kidnapped Zelda? Why don't you stop hiding behind my captain and come and take them. All you need to do is beat me."

Darin braces. He's fully expecting Nappa to run him down like a train. Or do one of those weird blasts.

"Kill me and it's yours."

Nappa's holding all the cards, including one Darin doesn't even know about. Nappa could refuse; tell Darin to throw him the keys and then be gone, flying to the smithy and loot the place clean long before he could get back there. It'd be the smart play...

...but not very fun. And Nappa owes this guy a beating. He cracks his neck muscles side to side. "You're gonna regret that, kid. I don't think you really understand just how dangerous I can really be." He turns his gaze upwards to the full moon, and drinks it all in.

"Lemme give you some advice, not that you're gonna live long enough to make use of it. First rule of fighting a Saiyan!"

Something inside Nappa goes *click* and when he looks back down at Darin, his eyes have turned blood red, and his teeth have lengthened into fangs.

"Don't be stupid enough to do it on the night of a full moon!"

And then he starts to grow. With a shout that quickly becomes a roar, Nappa starts growing, patches of fur sprouting along his arms and legs. His armour changes with him, adjusting and growing in side as he grows taller than the cabin. His face begins to lengthen into a snout as his tail unwinds from around his waist. The whole thing only takes a few seconds before the giant (but still bald) ape that had been Nappa stares down at Darin.

"THERE AIN'T A FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE STRONG ENOUGH TO DEFEAT A SAIYAN THAT'S TRANSFORMED INTO A GREAT APE! I'M GONNA PULVERIZE YA!"

Then a big, hairy monkey fist descends from above to crush Darin where he stands. Despite his size, Nappa moves deceptively fast.

Darin glowers, knowing full well that Nappa would take the bait. What he wasn't expecting was what came next. Why the hell was he looking at the moon? Just what the hell was he—

His eyes widen in horror as Nappa starts to change. What in the hell was this guy?! Were saiyans some kind of demons as well?!

He doesn't have time to really think on that. Nappa's massive mitt is descending like a meteor and Darin only barely manages to dodge roll to the side. His hand finds the ground and he springs up, back pedaling to try and put some distance between him and Nappa. Darin's a lot faster than he lets on, but he's still keeping his real strength tamped down.

"You dumbass! Is all of this really worth some money?! What the hell is your problem?! With your strength you can do better for yourself! Do better for others!"

"HRN?" Nappa was expecting to squash Darin into the ground, but the kid manages to dodge the blow, rolling to one side and then trying to widen the gap between them. Huh. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" Nappa roars as the ki blast finally emerges, but from his open maw, trying to nail down Darin as he moves. It's clear he's not concerned about collateral damage.

"IT'LL BE WORTH IT WHEN THAT MONEY SETS ME UP AS THE BIGGEST AND BADDEST PIRATE THIS TINY LITTLE PLANET'S EVER SEEN! I'VE WAITED TOO LONG, SUFFERED TOO MUCH, LOST TOO DAMN MUCH TO NOT BE THE ONE CALLIN' THE SHOTS! THE MIGHTY NAPPA, EMPEROR OF THE SEAS! I DON'T GOT TIME TO WASTE ON HELPING WEAKLINGS!"

Edited 2025-03-02 05:31 (UTC)

"You honestly don't wish that they suffered a little, brother? Since we were children, humanity has ground us into the dirt. Looked down their noses at us. Thought us freaks and monsters. Never once did you ever think that maybe it's humanity that deserves to be wiped from the world? That they're the blight, the stain, the taint that needs to be purged?"

Dromas' words echo in Darin's mind as he stares at the oncoming ki blast. Was this it? Was this what Dromas wanted Darin to become?! Someone so twisted and...and stupid?! A hulking monstrosity taking an eye-for-an-eye approach?!

Darin doesn't have enough time to dodge the blast. He clasps his hands low in front of him.

"You..."

He swings his arms upward using enough strength to crack the bones in his forearms. The ki blast has weight. It burns. It rips through his body with force as he slams his right foot into the ground behind him to brace himself, sending spiderweb like cracks tearing through the earth beneath him.

"IDIOT!!!"

Darin pivots and throws more of his strength behind is swing. Enough that he can feel the ball of energy start to bend — as if it were a steel girder. Across his body, blazing blue chain links start to surface, like brands on his skin. Encircling his arms, crisscrossing his body beneath his clothes. They pulse like veins and with a surge of power, he sends the ki blast skyward.

His arms are a mess. Bleeding and torn up, they hang at his sides. Blood drips from his numb hands and stains the earth beneath him as he throws caution to the wind and rushes the giant brute down.

"YOU THINK YOU KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT LOSS?! ABOUT SUFFERING?! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! IF YOU DID, YOU'D REALIZE MONEY DOESN'T BUY A SINGLE GODSDAMNED BIT OF HAPPINESS OR RESPECT!! ALL YOU WANT IS A WIN!! WANNA KNOW WHY?!"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A LOSER!! THE ONLY THING YOU'LL EVER AMOUNT TO IS DETERMINED BY THE WEIGHT OF YOUR PURSE!! AND IF YOU THINK I'M GONNA LIE DOWN AND LET YOU STEAL THE HAPPINESS I'VE LOOKED FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE, THEN I WILL BURY YOU HERE, NAPPA!"

Miraculously, he manages to lift his still numb arms in an attempt to throw a devastating haymaker squarely at whatever part of Nappa he can reach.

Nappa expects the ki blast to flatten Darin; maybe not kill him, but he put more than enough power into that blast to absolutely ruin the day of anyone not pulling a power level of at least wait what's he doing

Somehow, he manages to redirect the blast and send it up into the sky, shooting off into the stars. This guy's not a Saiyan. He's not part of the Ginyu Force, he's certainly no Frieza, but...

For just a split second, Nappa feels a pang of fear. Who is this guy?!

But Darin is rushing him now, spitting venom at the Saiyan and his way of life, and Nappa can see how much that effort cost him. Kid's barely standing after that little show!

"NEWSFLASH FOR YA, DUMBO! WINS ARE ALL THAT MATTER! THIS UNIVERSE, ANY UNIVERSE! ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU CAN GRAB FOR YOURSELF! THE MORE YOU WIN, THE MORE EVERYONE ELSE LOSES! THAT'S HOW IT'S ALWAYS BEEN! LOOK AT YOU, TRYIN' TO TALK ALL TOUGH WHEN YOU CAN BARELY STAND AFTER JUST ONE ENERGY BLAST FROM ME! YOU THINK YOU'RE PROVIN' ANYTHING?" It's so laughable that Darin thinks he can do anything to Nappa in his state that the Saiyan doesn't even bother to try and dodge the attack to his leg as Darin hops onto his boot and runs across his foot to get a better angle of attack. "AT THIS RATE, ALL YOU'RE GONNA DO IS DIE ON YOUR OWN TWO FE—"

Crack

As Darin's fist connects with his leg, something definitely snaps, and Nappa's boast turns into a wheezing gasp. The Saiyan loses his footing, and starts to go down on the leg Darin just surprisingly, badly injured.

"THAT...AIN'T POSSIBLE." Nappa wheezes, before he looks down at where Darin is and snarls with anger. "NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY! I'M GONNA RIP YA TO SHREDS!" This time he contents himself to just bring down his entire fist on where Darin is, with enough force to send him flying, if it connects. Gotta just...get some space, little jerk managed to take Nappa by surprise.

A lucky shot! What else could it have been? Nappa's just been training so much he probably overworked a muscle and the kid got lucky. Must be marinating in adrenaline after the hit from that ki blast.

Lucky shot...all it is...nothin' but luck.

Edited 2025-03-11 04:31 (UTC)

Darin doesn't stand a chance at dodging and in his state of mind, he doesn't even think to. His arms are still numb. Whatever the hell Nappa shot at him, he doesn't think he can take another. Hell, he's not even sure how he managed to deflect the first one. All he knows is that he's never been this angry before. Not even when Dromas—

His thoughts are silenced the second Nappa's fist comes down like a meteor. He can't even get his arms up to block it properly. The strike sends him ragdolling end-over-end until he comes to an abrupt stop against a large rock, which cracks from the impact.

Dammit, no! He's stronger than this! He knows he is! If Dromas could wipe out a city he should be able to take down a giant monkey man! He failed at stopping Garuda, he failed at stopping Ganondorf, and now this guy is going to be beat him?!

He struggles and rolls over onto his back. He's got to get to Zelda. He's got to get to her. Regroup. Figure something out. She can warp them away and he can take Nappa down later...!

"Zelda...I'm coming..."

Nappa watches Darin as he rolls onto his back. After all that, and the guy is spent. His lips part in an ugly smile as the Saiyan laughs in triumph.

"OH COME ON! WHERE'D ALL THAT TOUGH TALK GO? THAT'S REALLY ALL YOU GOT IN YOU? I—EH?" But then he looks up suddenly; something is pricking his fur, and Nappa's eyes go from where Darin is lying...to the cabin. Light is spilling out of the open windows and the open door. Something inside is gathering a large amount of energy.

Something inside the cabin explodes. The walls burst apart as the roof blows open, Nappa raising his arm as debris goes flying through the air. There are flecks of green organic matter, bits of tooth and claw mixed in. Something flutters to the ground near where Darin is lying, a small scrap of charred fabric, lying on the ground near his face.

It's from Zelda's outfit.

"AH, HELL! YOU BROUGHT HELP AFTER ALL, DIDN'T YA?" Nappa observes.

"CONGRATULATIONS, CHUMP! YOU GOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND KILLED!"

Edited 2025-03-13 19:40 (UTC)

He's already dazed before the explosion. Trying to formulate a plan. He ignores Nappa's mocking and taunting and rolls over onto his stomach. He'll crawl to Zelda if that's what he has to do. He'll crawl and—

The light that floods the cabin causes Darin to look up. Was that light Zelda? No...No, Zelda's magic was golden. It was warm. This wasn't her. This was something—

When the cabin explodes, Darin clamps his eyes shut. The force is enough to send him tumbling end over end closer to Nappa. Stunned, he rolls back over onto his stomach...and finds the cabin completely blown away.

The color drains from his face. Horror doesn't even begin to describe what he feels. He doesn't even have the wherewithal to wonder if something else had happened. If Zelda was alright.

Something flutters into his field of vision like a falling leaf in autumn. He scrambles over to it, recognizing it almost immediately.

Cloth from Zelda's clothes. Singed.

"No..."

It's the only word he can formulate right now as he lays there on his stomach, clutching the remains of the woman he loves.

No...

Nappa thumbs his snout idly as he lets the drama play out before him. Well, at least he knows the blacksmith shop is wide open and all too ready to be plundered. He could just leave it there, fly off now and leave Darin to his grief...

But that ain't good enough. Darin has to understand; she's dead because he just couldn't play ball.

His boot slams down onto Darin where he lies with all the force he can muster. Nappa twists his foot into the dirt after he does it, just for the sheer, petty malice of it.

"THIS COULD HAVE BEEN SO EASY, YOU KNOW THAT?!" He roars, getting angrier despite himself as he pulls his foot up to see Darin crushed into the dirt, still clutching the bit of Zelda's fabric.

"ALL I WANTED WAS THE MONEY! YOU HAD ONE, SIMPLE JOB IF YOU WANTED HER TO MAKE IT OUTTA THIS ALIVE!" His boot comes down again, harder. He pushes down for a second before raising his leg back up.

"BUT YOU JUST COULDN'T LET IT GO, COULD YA? JUST HAD TO BE THE HERO! AND NOW LOOK WHAT IT'S COST YA!" He stomps down again, then pulls back and stares with disgust at Darin.

"THIS ALL WENT SIDEWAYS BECAUSE OF YOUR OWN! STUPID! PRIDE!"

Nappa's boot descends one final time, with all the strength he can put behind it.

Edited 2025-03-13 20:08 (UTC)

It feels like the entire world is crumbling around Darin. Zelda was...dead? No. No that can't be right. Zelda can't be dead.

He doesn't even feel the pain as he's crushed into the ground. He doesn't feel his bones cracking. Doesn't feel his ribs breaking. Darin might be sturdy but he's not immortal. Darin might heal quickly but he still takes damage. He still breaks.

Sometimes those breaks are more deep-seeded than others.

He failed Zelda. He let this happen. He was oathbound to her!

Nappa's boot slams down. His bones crunch under his heel.

Now she's gone! The love of his life! Nappa took her and he couldn't even beat him! He can't beat anyone! Not Garuda! Not Ganondorf! What the hell was all of this power good for if he couldn't protect the woman he loved?! Nappa stole his happiness!

Nappa's boot slams down. Something snaps.

Nappa...Nappa stole his home.

Darin's fist clenches around the burned piece of fabric. His most recent and final failure.

His world was gone. Taken from him.

Nappa's boot slams down a third time.

'Hero?' The word tears through him like a lightning bolt. He wasn't a hero. Heroes win. Heroes save the day and protect the people that they love. Heroes are beloved and respected. There's nothing heroic about him.

No. Heroes protect their worlds. All Darin wants to do now?

Is burn this one to cinders.

Nappa's boot comes down for the fourth and final time. But when it strikes, it doesn't sink into the earth. It hits Darin's back and stops cold. Then, it's pushed up. Slowly. Not from any strain on Darin's part. No, he's slowly pushing himself to his feet with Nappa's full weight on his back. His bones are knitting as iridescent blue chains appear like brands all across his body.

When he stands, he shrugs Nappa off as if he were shrugging off a towel. Slowly, he turns. His eyes are no longer the vibrant green, brimming with life and fire. They're a sickly yellow and overflowing with unfettered hate.

"Pride?"

His voice is like a rumble of thunder. It carries the weight of a faultline being ripped open.

"Let's talk about pride because yours is on the line. You better kill me with your next attack, Mighty Nappa."

He stands, unmoving, as those chain-like brands flare brighter.

When Nappa brings his foot down, that should be the end of it. Darin's surprisingly sturdy to have survived even the first three stomps, but Nappa could feel bones breaking under his heel. Well, it's his own damn fault, if Darin had just fallen in line it wouldn't be ending like this for him.

Except it doesn't end. Nappa's foot is stopped at the last second, which is surprise enough.

But then his foot starts being pushed back. And that's something that's never happened before. Not when he's a Great Ape. But his foot is pushed up and then off, and Nappa is sent hopping backwards as Darin stands up.

And he's...glowy. He doesn't look like Nappa nearly broke his entire god damn body either, the way he's standing, the way his shoulders are set, the way Darin is glaring at him.

The fear returns, just for a second. That maybe Nappa has rather badly underestimated Darin. But only for a second.

"HUH! SO YOU GOT YOUR WIND BACK. DOESN'T MATTER." Nappa cracks his neck from side to side. "I'LL STILL GRIND YA BACK DOWN INTO THE DIRT. HA, IT'S PROBABLY THE KIND THING TO ANYWAY. I'LL SEND YA TO JOIN YOUR OLD LADY IN HELL SO YOU DON'T GOTTA LIVE WITH THE SHAME THAT YOU COULDN'T PROTECT HER!"

The Saiyan begins to gather his energy. The little shrimp wants Nappa to kill him in his next shot? Fine, then he'll use the biggest hit he has. A little trick he's refined over decades of battle and destruction. In terms of sheer, destructive power, it's the most powerful technique in Nappa's arsenal. He's levelled cities with it, just in his regular form. When enhanced by the power granted by his Great Ape form? Well, Darin's gonna regret his words, that's for sure. Not that there's gonna be much left of him standing once all is said and done

Nappa's arm rises as the power continues to gather around him, causing Nappa's body to glow with the accumulated energy, and he lifts his hand up as the energy builds to its crescendo.

He extends his middle and index finger and makes a short, sharp gesture up, and the collected energy is released around Nappa, blasting outwards in the release of the Giant Storm.

Darin waits for Nappa to...do whatever it is he's doing. He already saw the giant bastard belch an energy blast out of his mouth so nothing, at this point, would surprise him.

He widens his stance a bit and watches.

When Nappa unleashes his Giant Storm, Darin doesn't defend. He throws his arms out wide to take as much of the blast as he can. If this kills him, it kills him and he'd be happy for it. What was the point of surviving this fight if Zelda was gone? The only thing he'd have left would be to tear Nappa apart. Hell, taking Darin down now would probably make Nappa into a hero.

The wave of energy rips into Darin. It shreds through him and the new torrent of pain just reignites the hatred for the man even further. This bastard...it's his fault Zelda died! It's his fault he's alone again!!

IT'S ALL. HIS. FAULT!!!!

Above the tumult of the attack is the sound of metal chains snapping.

-Plink-

-Clack-

-Plink-

The brands evaporate off of Darin's body link by link and the roar he lets out shatters the night sky like a pane of glass. Darin's voice, super-imposed over a second voice. Something primal and hate-filled and loud enough that it sounds like a god is screaming. It could easily be mistaken for the death throes of a dying man.

When the Giant Storm ebbs and the ground is covered with smoke, there's nothing.

Except for Darin's form tearing through the smoke to strike Nappa in the kneecap with the force of bomb. His coat is torn to shreds. His shirt hangs in tatters. And those horrible chain-like brands are evaporating into glittering blue dust one link at a time.

-Plink-

-Clack-

-Plink-

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minorinpain - 2025-03-13 23:31 (UTC) - Expand

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forgeabettertomorrow - 2025-03-13 23:51 (UTC) - Expand

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Player Plot: Great Ape Nappa

Nappa, Darin: The Ransom [Video]

[VIDEO]

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