[The Locked Tomb]: Bloody Oaths & Unbroken Monsters
welp. welcome to the longest big bang project i’ve ever written. 50,000 words lovelies, i want to lay down in a field and howl at the moon.
the crew modding @tlt-big-resurrection are fabulous, and it was so much fun working on this (even though i was late posting orz). there’s a huge collection of great art and fics to check out so please scroll through.
also my BIGGEST SPOOKIEST THANKS to @abhorsenkatiel for the beautiful art (click click click!) accompanying chapter 2. it’s perfect, it’s wonderful, it’s everything i had swimming around in my mind and more. so grateful to have gotten to work with you and delight in our love of crazed, hot monsters <3 (hope you’ll forgive me for writing so slow haha)
enjoy y’all! it promises to be a ride.
title: bloody oaths & unbroken monsters
pairing: griddlehark (and, if you squint, some guilty anastasia/alecto bc this is my story dammit)
rating: explicit
summary: Dark Academia AU. There are a truly ridiculous amount of things inside Canaan Academy that can and will kill you, as Gideon Nav has learned. But Harrow Nonagesimus approaching her with a proposition to summon an ancient monster hidden deep within the bowels of the school offers a tempting break in her routine. Besides, Gideon always has a hard time turning down pretty girls.
link to ao3: [ao3]
“What was it like?” Harrow asks. “Learning to wield it.”
Gideon laughs weakly. “Hard. Possessed Weapons classes are weirdly heavy on the necromancy. But it’s because it’s hours of training yourself to ignore all the shit these fucking revenants try to tell you. And then you move up to actually trying to hold onto it with Soul Siphoners and Spirit Adepts at the ready in case you actually get possessed.”
“Almost happened once. But it helps when there’s someone there to ground you and talk you back into your body. Most of the time, it just made me sick whenever I held it. Like I was underwater or something. But that was months ago, and this one’s been behaving so far.” To prove the point, she stands to carry the sword through a brief flow she learned in class, relieved to feel that it still listens.
Harrow watches with great interest as Gideon moves, and says, “I heard they work very well against revenants.”
“Yup. Don’t get to experiment with that very often, but that’s the idea.”
“Would you be open to experimenting with it?”
Gideon raises a brow, but the statement isn’t a threat. Harrow poses it just as if she would post any other academic question — as if they’re sitting here talking about revenants and swords in the same way they would about theoretical necromancy. “Is this like…a super weird way of you asking me out? Because I’m not disinterested but you’re giving a very creepy pitch.”
Harrow folds her hands gently on her crossed knee. “I’m not here to ask you out. What I need is your body.”
Gideon balks at the forwardness, but only flounders for a moment before sliding on a smile that she hopes is charming to bone witches. “Well, I don’t usually fuck before a first date, but since you asked so nicely — ”
“You are in the unique position of being able to wield a weapon that can manage against a horde of revenants. As skilled as I am, that is a distinct weakness of mine so it will be beneficial to have you for the purposes of protection. Your request for fornicating has been duly noted and categorically ignored.”
Gideon blinks, genuinely at a loss for words which turns out to be a profusely unfamiliar feeling. “…Harrow, what the fuck are you talking about? Why the hell do you need me to protect you against revenants?”
Harrow straightens her shoulders and declares with a casualness that leaves Gideon both creeped out and a little bit more attracted to Harrow than she was ready to admit before. “Because I need your help resurrecting a monster.”