#ashenforged

[intothewildsea]

she loved him. it hit her, suddenly, as she cupped his bloody face in her hands. love had grown like ivy and tangled in her rib cage. without meaning to, she had fallen in love with this terrifying orc who looked at her like she had hung the moon and stars in the sky.

@ashen-forged

[intothewildsea]

@ashen-forged continued from X.

A part of Niamh had worried about how Vikaan would react to the baby, but when she saw him gently cradle the newborn babe in his arms, all worry faded away. She noticed how his eyes grew wet, but she said nothing, instead just tiredly smiling.

She was exhausted. Niamh had sank back into the pillows and furs, glad to finally be able to rest. She reached out and rested her hand on Vikaan's cheek, uncaring that he was spattered with blood.

"I want to name her after you," she said. She had thought long and hard about what she wanted to name the baby. As soon as she saw her daughter's face, she finally knew.

"What about Vikaara?"

[intothewildsea]

"This is for you, my love."

Vikaan’s deep voice was softer than usual, roughened by both affection and the weight of his journey. Clad still in his dragon bone armor, its plates in slight need of repair and streaked with the remnants of battle, he stepped forward, his presence filling the modest home. His massive axe rested against the wall, its blade glinting in the firelight, a silent testament to the battles fought for the spoils he carried.

With careful hands—hands that had felled monsters and shattered steel—he swept aside the golden curls of his sweet little wife, exposing the soft, untouched skin of her neck. A sapphire pendant, deep as the winter sky, gleamed between his fingers before he fastened it around her throat. The gem had been pried from the depths of a Dwemer ruin, buried within a hoard of forgotten gold. Weeks of delving into the treacherous underground, of slaughtering the accursed Falmer with brutal sweeps of his axe, of dodging the arcane traps powered by tortured souls trapped inside of black soul gems—it had all been worth it. And Vikaan had ensured that this treasure, unlike the cursed remnants of the deep, bore no ill fortune. A Priestess of Kynareth had blessed it, washing away the sins of its past, before he carried it home to her.

Now, as the pendant settled against her delicate collarbone, he let his big fingers linger there, tracing the cool metal. The contrast between them—the Dovahkiin and his jewel, the brutish man-eating orsimer and his soft-hearted wife—had never felt more striking. He rumbled lowly, his tusks brushing the shell of her ear. "You are far more precious than any treasure I could ever find."

Whenever Vikaan left, she never expected him to bring back anything for her. She had everything she needed at home - a warm house, food, her garden, their sweet little Vikaara who had just learned to crawl. She had everything she could ever want.

Still, Niamh did like shiny things. She liked trinkets and jewelry as much as any person might. When Vikaan showed her the necklace, her eyes grew wide, and she couldn't help but smile.

She stayed still as he put it on her. She reached up and touched the jewel. His words made her blush. She kissed his cheek. "You spoil me, Vikaan," she said, a smile tugging at her lips again.

The second kiss was pressed to his mouth. "Let me help you out of that armor so you can get some rest."

[intothewildsea]

The death hounds were upon Vikaan almost before he had a chance to prepare his weapon. Their frothing maws widened. Their pale teeth glistened. Their triumphant baying reached a crescendo loud enough to wake the vampire they served even in the light of the sun. Vikaan's axe flashed forward like a bolt of lightning.

The first hound’s leathery black skin smoked and burned where the blade, infused with fire runes, touched. The beast seemed almost to explode as the axe swept through it, cutting it in two, and sending innards erupting all over the floor. The orc's next stroke impacted a second hound’s collar. Sparks flew as metal met metal. There was a hideous grating screech. The enchanted runes on Vikaan's axe glowed as bright as the blood-red sun and the collar gave way. The creature's head and neck parted in bloody company. The corpse flopped to the ground, black ichor spilling out onto the floor. Another stroke cleaved a third hound down the middle lengthwise, revealing the skeleton and spine and ruptured organs. Surprised by the fury of Vikaan's attack, the remaining pack pulled back, snarling like wolves at bay.

Then, with an eerie intelligence, they began to target Niamh. Two of the hounds attacked the blonde simultaneously, one from each side. With a roar, Vikaan pushed the selkie aside, dashed the creature's brains out with Spite, and caught the other by the throat even as it leaped. Almost without effort, the orc held the monstrous creature at arm’s length, and then he lifted it so high that its hind limbs scrabbled on empty air. He dropped it. Before it touched the ground, he smashed through its ribs with the axe. Spite preened from its feast of newly acquired souls, but Vikaan's expression remained grave. He reached over and gently took Niamh's hand, cradling it gently as they ventured further into the dank ruins. "Niamh." Vikaan's eyes nearly glowed in the increasing darkness, his tusks casting a menacing shadow. "The Volkihar Vampire is up ahead. I must know if you are prepared to defend yourself and watch my back. I cannot protect you if we end up outnumbered."

The hounds were on the two of them before they could react. Vikaan, luckily, was faster than Niamh, and took care of three of them before she could even blink. She'd pulled out her bow, but before she could set an arrow, two of the hounds were leaping at her, far too close for her to get a proper shot in.

If Vikaan hadn't stepped in with a roar, she surely would've been torn to shreds.

Niamh scolded herself for not paying more attention. She was being a burden to Vikaan and she needed to fix that. Perhaps she should look into getting another weapon besides her dagger and bow. Something a little heavier. Perhaps a small axe? She needed to be able to carry it. Thoughts swirled in her mind and she almost didn't hear Vikaan say her name.

When he asked if he was prepared to defend herself, she nodded, squeezing his hand. "I am. I can stand back and use my arrows to help you." She could see fairly well in the dark, due to her selkie heritage. She'd be more help from afar than in the thick of it.

[mccnxstalked]

❝Wow! Your armor is impressive!❞ The black furred khajiit purred gently, tail swishing as she looked over the orc's armor with a glint in her eyes of admiration. Clawed hand gently rests on his arm, head tilted up at him with a grin. ❝Did you make it yourself?❞ @ashen-forged

[mccnxstalked]

Unprompted Asks -Always Accepting!! @ashen-forged

Zeza was no stranger to danger, clawed hand resting gently against the hilt of her sword- following her much taller and bulkier companion from behind slowly. Tail curls slightly with a brisk swipe every now and then when she thinks she heard danger but saw nothing. When he stopped, she stopped - almost running into his back with a small 'oof'. When he turns his head to her, she looked at the bodies then back at him - ears twitching slightly. The boop of her nose caused her to stiffle up a sneeze, tail swishing. "Hmm... Okay." she says softly - doing just that - keeping rather close to the man with her clawed hand holding her sword hilt gently - waiting for a chance to pull it free from its sheath.

[intothewildsea]

☘ Is there anything that makes you instantly want to follow someone? ☕  Is it often you hear people complimenting your blog? Characters, writing, theme, icons, etc. ☂ What’s your best RP experience?

I answered the first one already but I'll add something else to it. If I can tell someone puts a lot of love into their writing that definitely helps with me wanting to follow them!

For compliments, I don't get them constantly but I have gotten compliments about Niamh as a character, which makes me so happy!

It's hard to narrow down one best rp experience because I've had a lot of great ones! Is it cheating if I say one of the best ones has been writing with you and creating our little universe with Vikaan and Niamh? Because I've really enjoyed it and love all of our verses and AUs!

[intothewildsea]

❛ i could keep you safe. they’re all afraid of me. ❜

The moon hung heavy in the sky and the campfire illuminated them. Niamh sat across from Vikaan, the fire between them. She looked up when he spoke.

"You would keep me safe?"

She didn't doubt that he could, but was surprised that he would. Still, he had killed the bandits that had attacked her home and kept her from perishing in the fire.

For the first time since her home had burned, she smiled.

She could take care of herself. She didn't need protecting. But... "I'd like that."