It was a relatively normal morning at Hexside School of Magic and Demonics, or had been until about an hour before lunch when Principal Bump spoke over the Public Announcement Spell System while Luz was in Oracle class.

"Attention all students,due to a technical fault with school student databases that have accidentally deleted all my records and bricked my crystal ball, the school must close for a day to repair this vital system. All students and faculty are to go home with the following exceptions: The top four Beastkeeping, Illusion, and Healing students, the top two students from Plants, Oracle, Potions, Bard, and Abominations. Whose names I don't have because again, broken ball."

"That seems like a weird reason to close the school...." The lecturer frowned.

"This most certainly is not a flimsy coverup for something completely unrelated to an entirely trivial prank that's basically fixed as soon as I get the crystal ball with the backups on it working. That is all."

"Oh, I see. Well, you heard the principal everyone, off you go, and off I go," The lecturer concluded.

Celine and Barcus, the top two Oracles, were already on their way to Potions leaving the classroom empty of students as the rest poured out cheering. All except one, who unlike her peers was dismayed by the announcement.

"Aw, I feel left out now..." Luz Noceda sighed.

Principal Bump's voice then came over the PASS again..

"Oh, and since she's probably going to try and get involved anyway I guess Luz Noceda."

"Woohoo!"

She then realised something.

"Wait, I'm second best in Bard track and fourth in Healing,  I was already meant to be going. Twice. Maybe I need to find some way to magically duplicate myself so there's three of me, and..."

"Luz, just get moving, you can do the wacky cloning yourself plotline some other day," The lecturer said as they also left.

"Oh, okay!" The human then raced away.

*

The summoned students lined up inside the potions classroom, where rather unusually, some of the tables were now covered with trays of soil brought in by Bump's abominations while he fiddled with a spare crystal ball. A box of speaking orbs was also lying on the desk beside him, a couple of dozen of the magical walkie-talkie analogues in there.

The four beastkeeping students were Viney and three others Luz couldn't quite recall the names of. One of them was a blue-haired witch with a long braid, the other was blue-skinned with bright red hair in pigtails and two short horns, while the last was a fox-like demon girl with four tails.

Next up were the Illusionists, the Blight Twins, Gus, and a girl with five eyes and long cyan hair Luz knew to be called Blinky Sparewitch. Luz's awesome girlfriend Amity was of course the top Abominations student, and it seemed Jerbo was currently second, since Willow and Amelia were both here for plants.

Healing was Cat and Bo, and Luz then realised that she and Viney were the other two healers. Oracles were Barcus and Celine, while Potions was Eileen and Boscha, meaning that between them they made up two pairs of eyes. Skara was the last student as top Bard, for a total of nineteen, plus the Palismen of Boscha, Gus, Willow, Amity, and Viney

"Bet you five Snails the twins are illusions," Bo whispered to Eileen.

"Mmph mm," Eileen replied.

Bump failed to so much as acknowledge any of them until another of his abominations wandered in, dropping Edric and Emira into the spots their illusions had been standing in, to Eileen's dismay. However, as he looked up, the principal was now confused as he did a headcount.

"Wait, there's supposed to be twenty three of you. Oh, I counted some of the dual track students twice I guess."

"You counted me three times, and Viney twice, sir. And about that..." Luz began, practically bouncing with enthusiasm.

"No, sorry, we're not doing a wacky cloning adventure today, we just don't have time for mucking about. Especially since I have fewer students here than I had planned for."

Luz deflated slightly as Bump continued.

"You have all been asked here and other students sent home, as a short while ago it came to my attention that some Glandus students are about to attempt an attack on this school using a Catoblepas."

Some gasped (the beast-keeping students), some were puzzled (Almost everyone else), some were bored and brazenly looking up Pentsagram on their scrolls (Boscha), Luz was inquisitive, Eileen was fuming, and Bo was triumphantly pocketing her Snails.

"...Does that mean something different from what I know, 'cos in most RPGs a Catoblepas is usually something that petrifies you? But Belos uses petrification to execute people so... why does he need the big machine if there's Catoblepasses? Catobelpi?"

The previously puzzled/fuming/triumphant students were now nervous at hearing the dreaded p-word. Boscha was still on Penstagram, though, so at least someone was calm.

"The plural is 'Catoblepae', Luz. They perform a different kind of petrification that's reversible, unlike the method used by the Emperor, using their eye or their tongue," Viney explained, as Bump nodded.

"Yes, as some of you may not know there are in fact a number of variants of petrification. Temporary, Reversible, and Permanent. Temporary is normally caused by potions, some plants, or some creatures and usually wears off after some time or is cured, reversible is often the gaze, touch, or potent venoms of some creatures and usually needs cured, and permanent is of course the method used by our Emperor," Bump then added.

"Huh, for some reason that kind of sounds like quick exposition in a mid-series fanfiction to get around the risk of stepping on established or forthcoming lore more than a real fact..." Skara said

"Uh, what?" Boscha glanced up from her scroll.

"I said that's interesting."

Bump detached Frewin from his head, and gave Skara a look with his own actual eyes for a few seconds before reattaching his palisman and continuing.

"Anyway, you are all here because you have skills that will assist in capturing the creature and then letting us release it back into Glandus. Your presence is optional but you will be given extra credit, and forgiveness for any recent rule breaking EG the hexing of the school databases."

"...Wait, ANY recent rule breaking?" Edric said.

"Yes. Even the damage caused to the room next to the Human Appreciation Society."

"Um, Sir, that was me, and I apologise again..." Gus said.

"Where'd you even get a hand grenade?" Luz wondered again.

"So it was. Well, I guess I don't want to know what you're thinking about, Edric, but one last chance, is anyone leaving?"

No one did.

"Great. Now it's not that I don't actually know some of your names and relied entirely on school records to recognise some of you like you were background characters or even people who really only came into existence to pad out the numbers through lack of canonical students, but can you all say your names from left to right so everyone else knows who you are, then come here to get a two way speaking orb?"

As the naming was done, the three other Beastkeepers turned out to be Nautim Bound, Tudaisun Portant, and Vulpa Kitsune. Luz was a little confused to realise Vulpa was actually the blue witch, and Nautim was the tailed girl.

"Now, this plan will require Illusionists, Plants, and Potions first. Plants will grow ingredients for  Granite Paste, a cure for temporary and reversible petrification. Potions will make fifty bottles worth," Bump began as the last name was said.

"Cool, we'll just be growing the cure right away? I mean, can you imagine how stupid it would be to have a magic school where they had to wait like half a year to grow a plant to make some kind of cure?" Luz said.

"Yes, that would be a pretty stupid school," Amity nodded.

"Wait, why fifty? Sir, are you using this as an excuse to refill the school's medical supplies for free?"  Bo said.

Bump paused for a second before he answered and continued the exposition.

"...Double extra credit if you accept 'no' as a true answer. Meanwhile, the Illusion students will make fake students and staff so the place looks full to the Glandus students. If there's no one here they'll give up, and then try again some other day when they might not be stupid enough to hashtag it on Penstagram and say they're trying to arrive during lunchtime."

"Oh, so that's how you knew they were coming. Wait, you're on Pentsa?!" Boscha realised.

"I can neither confirm nor deny anything but I can also remind you that what you do outside school or on scrolls is none of my business and frankly I don't really care. Moving on: Once the creature is released into the school, Oracles will use the school security eyes to watch around the place and spot where it  is, and then guide the others to the target over the speaking orbs.  Bard students will then play music over the PASS to soothe the creature, allowing easy capture by Beastkeepers or Abominations!"

"Uh, sir, that doesn't work with Catoblepae, they're virtually deaf," Viney pointed out.

"Oh. Well, I suppose Skara can provide moral support then. Plant students when they're done growing can help catch the thing with vines or something, and Potions students can use other potions to help. Once it's caught, we can then take it back to Glandus. Oh, and Healing students will wait here with the Oracle students so they can go out to administer cures to anyone petrified."

"Mm mm mmph mm mmph?" Eileen then asked.

"No, throwing the cure potion to petrify the Catoblepas won't work, it's immune to it, just save them for anyone who gets petrified. Use sticky potions or something," Viney said.

"Wait, the cure petrifies things?" Luz said.

"Yes, so keep messing around with it to a minimum please. Also try not to get petrified, I want to keep at least thirty of these," Bump said.

Barcus gave a small bark.

"...Triple extra credit if you ignore the fact school supplies legally only need five and the theory Barcus just offered that I plan to try and sell the rest to Glandus after you send their Catoblepas back.. So that's basically it. Illusionists fake a crowd, potions and plants make the cure, then everyone but healers tries to catch the creature with potions or illusions or beastkeeping stuff or good old abominations or whatever. Oh, Barcus, focus on Oracle stuff today, Eileen and Boscha should have this. Jerbo, help with plants for now and then use Abominations. Viney, you'll probably have to do both so be careful. Luz.... Be Luz. We've got a few minutes left, so, any questions?"

"...Doesn't the school have guards to stop things like this?" Cat asked.

"Yes, but after last week's incident the survivors are on leave."

"Does Catoblepas petrification cure potion petrification?" Gus asked.

"Probably not."

"What does it actually look like?" Luz said.

"Like a green hairy cow about half the size of a witch with really big horns, and with one eye."

"Boiling Isles cows look like those things you said were African Buffalos," Amity added.

"Wait, what kind of moral support can I give?" Skara suddenly realised.

"I dunno, some music? Pick a nice spellify playlist if you like. Anyway, anyone else for one last question?" Bump said.

"Yeah, are those two really called Nautim Portant, and Bound Tudaisun?" Boscha asked, pointing at the non-tailed non-Viney beastkeepers.

"Actually, I'm..." The blue-skinned girl began to say, but Bump cut her off.

"Whoops we're nearly out of time if we want to actually do this, Illusionists get to work, Plantists get growing, Potionists get working, Beastkeepers spread out across the school, Abominationists post abominations around to help the Beastkeepers, Skara go to the Bard classroom and use the PASS orb there to set up the music, Oracles and Healers stay here, Luz do human things and try not to cause any more fires. Oh, Amity, one more job for you actually, please try to stop Luz starting fires."

"Yeesh... You act like that's all I ever do, I did it once. By accident. And it wasn't even in this school! Or in this realm!" Luz whined.

"Wait, you burned down a human school? Cool," Skara said.

"Well, not so much burnt down as..."

"There will be time to reminisce about arson later, kids, go get to work catching the semi-deadly creature please. I meanwhile will be planning where and when we should unleash our new Catoblepas at Glandus, while also fixing my records and certainly not playing Scream Fortress Two which has definitely not just finished downloading onto this spare crystal ball," Bump cut Luz off, and went back to his office.

"He's telling the truth there, actually, he was downloading Overwitch," Emira noted.

*

The plant track students were growing the various ingredients, and having been told to do Human Things, Luz was naturally provoking exposition.

"So, what's actually in this cure potion thingy?"

"It's basically a mixture of three plants into a base potion. The one you keep calling awkward," Willow said, growing one of the three plants, namely something that looked suspiciously like clover but grey.

"Because it's basically the same as a potion in a videogame, except it's called Boiling Wort, not Nether Wart."

"But yes, then it's Petraleaf, Shimmering Teardrop Stems, and... T-terrorplant," Willow shuddered at the last word, a few others in earshot wincing.

Luz looked at the so-called Terrorplant

"...It looks like a cucumber."

Barcus yelped and hid below a desk.

"Don't just say it so casually, Luz!" Amelia protested halfway under a desk herself.

"I'm confused here, they're just pretty normal vegetables in the Human realm. Well, they're technically fruits but everyone says they're vegetables."

"Wait, humans eat them?!" Boscha said, all three eyes wide in newfound fear of the human.

"Yeah?"

"Good, you can handle passing them over and putting them in the pulping machine, you won't be panicking the whole time!"

"But why are you so scared of them?"

"Mmmph mm mph mmm!" Eileen said.

"What?"

"We'll explain later! Just... handle them!" Boscha said.

"Do you mean explaining about the cu... plants, or what Eileen said?"

Barcus barked.

"Oh, right, that is what she said, sorry, Eileen."

"....How can you understand him but not her?" Bo wondered.

Luz didn't have an answer for that and was frankly getting too confused all around, so got on with handling the cucumbers. A few moments later, Eileen and Boscha had brewed some vials of the Granite Paste.

"Now we need to be sure it's working, so we test it on a titan damn it Boscha!" Bo said, as the triclops threw some of the potion at Willow.

With a yelp, the plant witch froze in place as a few tiny drop of the mixture hit her nose, a quickly flowing wave spreading out, turning her skin and hair grey and rocky. Her clothing and glasses remained unaffected, even as a stray drop or two touched them. While Willow was frozen in a surprised statue-state, everyone else in the room was now rather angrily glaring at Boscha. Clover, Willow's Palisman, buzzed angrily, and even Maya, Boscha's own crab Palisman, was looking on in disapproval.

"What? I proved it worked... Besides, I have a plan," She said, standing beside Willow and producing her scroll.

"Was the plan 'prove you're a giant jerk?' Because you're a giant jerk," Luz fumed.

"Actually, I'd post this on Pensta and trick the Glandus dweebs into thinking their plan was working. Besides, she'll turn back in a few minutes, I only threw a drop...."

Luz sighed.

"Everyone, cover your eyes."

Everyone but Boscha and the still-stone Willow did so.

Boscha then screamed as Luz pulled a cucumber and began chasing her.

*

Ten minutes later, Boscha now thoroughly chastised and still trembling in fear a little, and Willow reverted back to flesh, everything was nearly ready. Illusion-duplicate students wandered the halls, the Abominations and Beastkeepers lay in wait, Skara was swearing at the PASS being a pain in the posterior, the Oracles were watching the crystal balls, and the Potions/Plant/Healing students waited with them....

"There! Heading in the north side!" Celine announced, spotting some Glandus students via the security eyes.

A shape scurried out of a bag as the two Glandus students delivering the creature vaulted over a wall, and it barely seemed to stop before bolting right at the school. Swapping views to other eyes, they saw the Catoblepas dash past, indeed looking like a small big-horned green African Buffalo, but the single eye was facing away from the security views. It soon rushed through an open door, encountering some wandering illusion students. The illusions, carefully crafted by the four Illusion track students to act somewhat realistic, panicked as the creature entered their 'view'...

...And then began turning to stone, freezing in place and becoming entirely stone in an instant. Even the Catoblepas seemed bewildered at this..

"...Um, that's not right," Celine said, as Barcus gave a confused ruff.

"Yeah, they're not supposed to do that, are they?" Luz spoke up.

"Vulpa and Tudaisun are nearby, they might be able to catch it now," Bo noted, as the security eyes watched the pair heading in, guided by their speaking orbs.

Tudaisun, the blue-haired witch, rounded a corner where some startled illusion-statues had just been made, her Beastkeeping companion bounding behind her: A Jackalope.

"...A Jackalope? Really?" Boscha said.

"Well, we'll see what it can do I guess....aaaaand it's got petrified," Celine sighed.

"Uh oh.... So has Tudaisun!" Bo noted, the crystal balls showing the blue-haired witch realise and panic at the sight of the Catoblepas staring at her.

Unlike the Illusions, her clothing remained unaffected, and her petrification consisted of freezing in place as the wave spread from her eyes. The Catoblepas seemed almost pleased at this outcome, being the kind of petrification it expected to see, almost dancing in place as the Beastkeeper's petrification concluded.

Vulpa, the other beastkeeper nearby, then arrived from behind. She was more cautious, covering her eyes with a hand as her companion, a two-headed dog, sniffed the air. The lack of sound from the security eyes didn't detract from the obvious panic the Catoblepas had upon seeing the sniffing hound-beast nearing, and it looked around for escape. However, it could see none, having walled itself in with illusion-statues and Tudaisun.

It opted to charge the dog instead. The surprise of this must have caused eyes to open, for a second later the dog turned to stone, and then Vulpa likely uncovered her eyes, as in the corner of the view, her blue skin turned grey. The Catoblepas then bolted out of sight.

"...We really suck at this so far," Cat sighed.

"Well, guess we're up, Eileen, Beastkeeping has failed," Boscha scoffed.

"Mmph?"

"Yeah, sure, I doubt the other ones will do any better."

"Oh no, Potions aren't catching it, this one is Plants!" Willow said, still quite irate at her earlier petrification.

"...We are?" Amelia blinked.

"Yes! Look, Jerbo's got a plant abomination after it now!" Willow pointed at a crystal ball.

"But that's an Abomination as well?" Bo noted.

"It's also failed miserably," Celine pointed out, as the plant-abomination became a stone-abomination, minus the mobility.

"Plants lose again!" Boscha taunted as she dragged Eileen out the door.

Willow then raced after, Amelia confused for a second before rushing after, Clover and Maya in her arms.

"Boscha! Willow! You forgot your Palismen!"

Luz and the two healers could only stare at the door in bewilderment, while Barcus and Celine watched the crystal balls.

"It looks like Amity's abominations aren't invulnerable either. One helping Nautim just got petrified."

"Amity's okay though, right?!" Luz panicked.

Barcus gave a ruff.

"Oh, right, yeah, forgot she's just letting them patrol. Still, I should go help her out...." Luz then abandoned the classroom.

"Is this stupid thing working yet?" Skara's voice came over the PASS.

"She does realise we can't answer, right?" Bo asked.

"...Probably not. Let's tell her through her orb... which she left here," Cat then realised, seeing the orb lying on a table.

*

Nautim's efforts with the creature currently consisted of hiding behind the stone abominations, as her beast-companion, a three-tailed fox, was slowly stalking towards the Catoblepas that was looking the other way.

It then turned, and petrified the beast. Nautim kept her own eyes closed, but opened them as footsteps neared.

Edric Blight then stopped in his tracks, saw the creature, and tried to make an illusion mirror.

This had two effects. One, the Catoblepas, immune to its own gaze, was not affected, but it did mean the eye was seen by Nautim. She barely even got a yelp of shock out before petrifying.

Two.... it was transparent enough that Edric found himself paralyzed but not petrified. The Catoblepas wandered over, confused by the illusion-mirror, before poking its head through it, meeting the paralyzed gaze of the male Blight twin, and finishing the job.

As he petrified, so too did every one of his remaining illusions wandering the school. His mirror also petrified, becoming a solid slab that then fell to the floor, clipping and knocking down one of the illusion-statues, both crumbling as they hit the ground.

"Emira, Gus, Blinky, illusion-mirrors don't work!" Celine warned via the communication orbs.

Emira, around the corner, yelped in surprise at the sudden loud noise.

The Catoblepas may have been nearly deaf, but it wasn't that deaf, so these noises attracted it. And so it began chasing the remaining unpetrified twin, right into a bathroom.

"Try looking at some real mirrors!" Emira cackled as she hid in a stall.

The Catoblepas saw her feet and immediately poked its head under the gap. Emira stared down.

"Um, I'm not a mirror...." She tried.

The Catoblepas glanced up.

Emira screamed, and then fell silent as she was turned to stone.

*

"Well, I guess it got her," Bo sighed as the Catoblepas walked out of the bathroom.

"I've got a plan, I grabbed a human artefact that should help!" Gus said over the communications orbs as he rushed into the scene.

The Catoblepas was very much unimpressed by his 3D glasses, and he joined the ranks of the statues.

Barcus whined.

"We do suck at this. Did Bump pick us because we were actually expendable or something?" Cat agreed.

"Look, just because the thing can petrify Illusions, Abominations, Beastkeepers, and Illusionists, doesn't mean we're beaten yet! Plus there's still a Beastkeeper and an Illusionist out there. Maybe Blinky is luckier than... Nope, guess five eyes makes it a lot easier to get petrified by a gaze-based attack," Celine said.

On the crystal ball the last Illusionist was now a statue, four eyes closed and having inexplicably forgotten to shut her fifth eye, widened in an expression that practically screamed 'oh titan damn it I'm a moron'.

"Cat, maybe we should go try and cure some of them. Celine, Barcus, where is the Catoblepas?"

"Hang on, looks like it's in the west wing first floor just now... yeah, look, there it is, staring right at the security ey...." Celine said, her sentence cut off by freezing in place.

Barcus, Bo, and Cat also froze, as the gaze of the creature was transmitted, and the four were petrified staring at the crystal ball.

*

Willow and Amelia had found Jerbo, and were now trying to track the creature through the first floor, slipping past the new hall decorations courtesy of the illusionists and Catoblepas..

"...Celine? Barcus? Is anyone there?" Willow said into the communications orb.

"I can't get them either. Me and Luz will go check on them," Amity's voice came through.

"I think I'm closer, heading there now too, I'm going to try to get some of the cures," Viney added.

"They do realise the Catoblepas probably got there and got them, right?" Amelia noted.

"Uh, no. It didn't," Jerbo pointed at his plant-abomination that had petrified rounding a corner.

"Okay, eyes closed, plants ready. We're going to bury this thing in vines!" Willow grinned.

Jerbo's vines took the lead, going around the corner and catching the feet of the Catoblepas. It gave a cry of surprise, before Amelia and Willow's vines followed and began wrapping it up. It then glared at the vines, emitting a beam of white energy from its eye, and starting them petrifying. They began halting, and the three Plant Witches were at first bewildered by their magic stopping responding.

And then the Catoblepas rounded the corner, eye glowing angrily. Amelia and Jerbo were unlucky to get the gaze right away, but Willow closed her eyes, narrowly avoiding repetrification.

Clover was not so fortunate, the bee-palisman giving a startled buzz. Willow managed to keep her eyes closed, catching her petrified palisman.

"If anyone can hear me, I'm on the first floor beside the Human Appreciation Society room, and the Catoblepas is pretty much right beside me," Willow said.

"Try keep it there, and don't let it lick you, that petrifies you too," Viney warned.

"Are they prone to licking?"

"Not unless you're covered in Petraleaf pollen or someth-oooh. Sorry."

"Ah crud," Willow said as she felt a small rough tongue licking at her hand, as she once more became a statue, this time without a few minutes time before it would wear off.

*

"Sounds like plants failed as expected," Boscha said, having heard the conversation.

"Mmmph," Eileen sighed.

"So I'm thinking we throw something to blind it and then some sticky sap potion, before we... wait, how do we actually trap it? Do we just get fish-hook earring and her griffin to show up?"

Eileen shrugged, then her eye widened. She pointed down the corridor as a shape moved amongst the illusion-statues.

"How'd it get here so fast, it was on the first floor?" Boscha wondered as the two carefully followed.

"Mmmph," Eileen pointed at an open door, leading to a classroom with a hole in the roof.

"Oh yeah, Gus blew up that room above didn't he. I can't believe I'm saying this but I agree with the human, where did he even get that thing and can he get another one?"

"Mm Mmph."

The two potions track students readied potions as the Catoblepas began sniffing around a door, that led to the Construction classrooms.

"Oh good, it's nothing important if we destroy the classroom in there," Boscha grinned as the creature pushed the door open.

Eileen and Boscha rushed behind, potions ready, and then halted in shock as the many reflective surfaces inside the classroom became apparent.

"Why were they building mirrors?!"

"Mmmph!"

Four eyes caught the reflected gaze of one, and triclops and cyclops both turned to stone, the Catoblepas turning around in confusion, as if saying it too had no idea why the Construction coven had handed it this gift but it wasn't going to complain.

Mostly because it wasn't actually capable of speech, but that was not exactly comforting to the two potion-track statues it shuffled past on its way out. As it did so, Maya, Boscha's crab palisman, poked out from Boscha's potions bag, and accidentally got itself petrified by the Catoblepas looking back....

*

Viney and Puddles were carefully trying to get their way to the Potions classroom, but thanks to all the petrified illusions blocking the way, movement for a Griffin and a Witch wasn't easy if silence was important. Which given crashing smashing noises would be so loud as to possibly attract the Catoblepas, Viney thought was probably a good idea. Still, they were nearly there.

"...I think they overdid it, Puddles. There's probably more illusions in this corridor than there actually are pupils in the whole school," The dual-track witch said.

The Griffin nodded, then halted, giving a soft coo. Viney stopped also, just hearing the end of Boscha's yell down the corridor.

"Come on, let's get to the potions room and grab some cures. This Catoblepas is being a real pain in the... Puddles, close your eyes!" Viney said, interrupted by the Catoblepas waddling around the corner.

The alarmed squawk and sudden rocky texture the Griffin took on indicated she had been too late, as petrified spiders rained from the mouth of the startled beast. Viney tried to cast a spell used frequently in beastkeeping, a stunning spell that made some beasts docile, but a combination of closed eyes and too many illusion-statues ensured that it went nowhere near the Catoblepas.

"Okay, plan B," Viney told herself as she carefully backed up and managed to get to the door of the potions room. Opening it and rushing inside, she locked it, and opened her eyes.

The four petrified witches staring at the crystal ball let Viney guess what had happened.

"I didn't know they could do that but it was sure inconvenient all four of you were looking."

Still, the cures were just on the other table, the door was locked, and she could start the process of getting more support to try catch the creature again. Reaching under the Catoblepas standing over the cures and licking at some Petraleaf, she grabbed a cure and...

"Wait, how did you get in here?!" Viney shrieked as the Catoblepas turned, and glared at her.

*

Amity and Luz meanwhile were unaware they were the only two tasked with catching the creature left, and had been making their own way to the Potions room.

"Oh no, it got Puddles!" Luz gasped.

"I don't see Viney... And no one else is responding on the communications," Amity noted.

"Um, she's in the potions room. And so is the Catoblepas. And the door's locked."

"Why's the door locked? And why's the Catoblepas in there? And why are you still looking in the window, Luz, what if it looks at you?!"

"It's busy nibbling some of the leftover plants. If we sneak in, I can try distract it, maybe blind it and try getting it in some ice, while you bury it in abomination, it'll try petrify it, and then trap itself! Then we just get the potions, cure everyone, and then figure out how we get it to Glandus!"

"That might work, but we need to be careful. We need to get past the door first though. Kinda wish I hadn't left Ghost at home today," Amity noted, knowing her cat-palisman could probably have cut through the door.

"Well, that's not too hard, I can pick this lock. You probably wouldn't be surprised at what you can learn by hanging around Eda as much as I do. You don't happen to have a screwdriver and a bobby pin do you?"

"Actually, yes," Amity said, producing both items.

The lock was so simple though that it practically opened the second Luz touched it with her ad-hoc lockpicking tools. The two slipped in, Amity quietly raising an abomination with her eyes tightly shut, as Luz readied some glyphs.

A fireball hurled towards the Catoblepas made it cry in alarm, turning to face Luz who had her eyes tightly closed. A few light glyphs were next, the Catoblepas crying out as it was blinded by them. Luz then readied an ice glyph, placing it at the feet of the Catoblepas, then activating it.

"And gotcha! Amity, now!"

Amity sent forth the Abomination that piled onto the ice-and-Catoblepas, but as it dropped, the creature managed to get its tongue out, brushing Luz's hand.

"Oh farts!" the human cursed, as the wave of stone began spreading up her.

"Luz!" Amity gasped, opening her eyes, and then freezing as her gaze hit the glow of the Catoblepas eye reflected in some of the ice.

The abomination, now no longer powered by any of Amity's magic, began to melt. The ice began cracking as the Catoblepas struggled. Witch and Human managed to look at each other, their voices silent and eyes locked on each other as they turned into stone. With both remaining threats petrified, the Catoblepas struggled, and then with a noise of triumph, broke away from the ice.

It then was hit in the back of the head by a banjo. It blinked, then collapsed unconscious.

"Did I get it? Guys? Wait, did you both get petrified too?" Skara said, still holding her banjo, and wearing a blindfold.

*

A short while later, Skara had managed to turn everyone else in the room back, and explained what she had done. Principal Bump had also decided to wander in and investigate just as everything was concluded, and held a canvas bag of struggling Catoblepas.

"So after I got bored of trying to get the PASS to work, I decided to head back here but saw all the statues. I realised the Catoblepas must have been around so I got a blindfold and used my ears - since I'm a bard I can use them almost better than my eyes!" Skara boasted.

"Like sonar!" Luz said.

"...What?"

"Like a bat?" Luz tried again.

The witches understood that, at least.

"....So why is there a trail of fallen-over illusion statues between here and the Bard rooms?" Celine wondered.

"Um, well... I might have not been able to hear those statues that well. But they're only illusion statues! It might sound weird but I could hear the difference between the actual petrified witches and the illusions, since the fakes are all kind of hollow."

"...You're sure they were all illusions?" Viney asked, halfway out the door beside Bo and Cat, potions in hand to go revert the rest of the actual petrified witches.

"Pretty sure...." Skara said, somewhat unconvincingly.

"Well, just in case, take some Elmer's Potion to reattach any limbs.... And try not to put anyone's butt on wrong this time, Bo," Bump advised

"Yeesh... You act like that's all I ever do, I did it once. By accident. And it wasn't even in this school!" The recently de-petrified healer grumbled.

"Wait, now it's all over, can someone please explain why cucumbers are so scary?" Luz spoke up, causing general panic.

Except with Bump.

"You know, I've never really understood it myself. But then again I don't really see all that well without Frewin. Anyway, I'm going to go take this to Glandus, any non-petrified students can go home as soon as they like," the Principal said, heading off.

Barcus barked.

"Yeah, I guess that's it over as far as we're concerned. As long as Luz stops saying... that word," Skara shuddered.

"I have an idea. Luz - If you casually mention... that thing... again, I won't kiss you for a whole day for every time you say the word," Amity grinned.

Luz froze as if petrified again.

"O-okay... Now I'm scared of them too...."