212: Hubbubbada Bubbada!

## Summary

Fleeing from the Waterside guards, the group make a dash for the magical brazier teleportation device. Gwen contacts Moondreamer for help, only to make a disconcerting discovery, that it was in fact an impostor who returned her magic earlier when imprisoned in the cell. In the nick of time, and thanks to an actually very clever plan from Will, the party are transported to one of the underground water pipe tunnels, seemingly without being followed. They overcome two Waterside workers and befriend two of their Cliffside counterparts.

## Synopsis

Having just tried and failed to subdue two *Tomorrow, Today!* surveillance operatives, the party have been discovered and a squad of six town guards has burst in from the halfway and are searching the rooms. The illusory wall, for the time being, is hiding the party from view. "Look! The guards, they come! We kill?" shouts Mo. Will runs towards the *"Transport"* room and tells everyone to follow him. Batthwack tells Mo to follow them and, skidding to a halt, he turns and runs back towards them. Batthwack, noting that Will has already gone into the *"Transport"* room, casts *Eldritch Blast* targeting the first row of three guards, hitting two of them, and then turns and runs towards the rest of the group. Mo, Hilula, Selenia and Raphina have followed Will in. Captain Clockface is waiting for Batthwack.

Gwen is left alone in the *"Surveillance"* room. Deciding that they need some help, she grabs Kowl and contacts her patron Moondreamer. They say it's been a while since they've spoken to Gwen, which is odd because Gwen spoke to them only a little earlier, when Gwen was locked up in her cell. Disconcertingly, Moondreamer has no recollection of this conversation, saying that the last time they spoke was in a bathroom. Gwen briefly explains all that's happened since then and that they'd given her magic back and presented her with the magic pouch, but Moondreamer says it wasn't them and that they must have been blocking them somehow. Gwen recounts that whoever it was had told her they'd prompted Ricardo Ulysses to steal her money and destroy her shop because it was time to move on. Moondreamer says this sounds like a very cruel thing to do and not something they would have done, even though they agree it is time to move on. Gwen asks for help again. Moondreamer advises Gwen to keep closer to the party and not let them leave her behind. They say Gwen should investigate who may have impersonated them. Gwen suggests creating a secret password and she chooses *"Tippy Toes"* and Moondreamer accepts this. Gwen wonders what to do with the pouch and Moondreamer advises to be careful with it, but suggests keeping it as it may help her get back in touch with whoever gifted it. They say their farewells and Moondreamer disappears.

Gwen and Batthwack make their way into the *"Transport"* room with the rest of the party. As he enters the room Batthwack glances over his shoulder and sees that the guards have been joined by more personnel (there is an initial group of nine and six more behind them, along with the two surveillance operatives/magic users from earlier). Will is already at the brazier, looking at the stones. He sees a yellow stone identical to the one he took from Castle Ravenloft and also stones of violet, red, orange, green, blue and indigo. Will has a cunning plan. He suggests using the yellow stone from the brazier and just as they are leaving, throwing his Ravenloft stone in so that anyone who follows them through will be sent somewhere else totally random. Taking the yellow stone out from the brazier, Will sees there is something carved into the rock. It says *"Flow A"*. Batthwack lifts all the other stones and sees other etchings reading *"Cave"*, *"Administrative A"*, *"Administrative B"*, *"Flow B"*, *"Up"* and *"Far"*. Raphina suggests the caves, but they grab a bunch of stones (to confuse their followers) and working on the theory that "Flow A" relates to one of the underground water pipes Will throws in the yellow stone. Mo doesn't hesitate to dive in. Poof! He disappears. Gwen goes in (poof!), followed by Captain Clockface (poof!) and Selenia (poof!). They hear footsteps in the corridor outside. Batthwack urges Hilula to follow and she jumps in, shortly followed by Raphina. Poof! Poof! Batthwack asks Will *"Have you got this? You gunna be right behind me?"* Will just screams *"Yes! Go! Go! Go!"* Batthwack jumps in. Poof! Will casts *Mage Hand* and uses it to lift the Ravenloft stone above the brazier, hoping that when he is transported away, the spell will be cancelled. Then he gets into the fire. Poof!

They find themselves in a relatively small room, about 15 feet square. It has a stone floor, stone walls and a stone ceiling. There's a table and chairs in the middle and there's a fireplace in the wall that's set up with equipment to prepare food. There's a door with a small window. Batthwack looks out the window and sees a tunnel with a pipe running down the middle of it. There's a large valve in the pipe and an iron fence across the tunnel, with a gate in it. On this side of the gate are two people dressed similar to the guards, in that their uniforms have the same yellow and green livery. On the other side there are two people wearing Cliffside jumpsuits. They all look very bored. The group discuss how to get onto Cliffside and realize that no-one has appeared in the room with them, which is a good sign. Batthwack says he hopes the guards ended up in Ravenloft and Will and Batthwack high five each other. They decide to knock out the Waterside workers and hope they can find a way through the gate. Batthwack doesn't waste any time and goes to the door. Will immediately makes himself look like a guard and lays himself on the ground like he's been knocked out.

Gwen follows Batthwack out the door. The workers look surprised and Batthwack swings the hilt of his sword at one of them, knocking him out. The other one shouts *"Intruders!"* Gwen vaults over the pipe and hits the other guard in the head with her quarterstaff, sending him staggering back against the fence. He unsheathes his sword and retaliates, dealing her some damage. The Cliffside workers on the other side of the fence shout *"Boo! Get him!"* Raphina follows up with her mace, but only clangs into the pipe. Hilula runs out, jumps up onto the pipe, but it's unstable and she can't connect with her axe either. Mo is next. He jumps over the pipe with great agility, somehow remembers to punch, not stab, and lays the worker out cold. *"Hooray!"* shout the Cliffside workers. *"Nice job! Finish 'em off!"* they jeer. Gwen says *"We're not going to kill them, we just need to get away. Can you let us over there?"* The workers look confused. Thinking fast, Batthwack says *"Yeah, we'll bring them over"* and the workers reply *"Oh ok! Sure!"*

The workers ask them who they are. Raphina replies *"At your service!"* and Batthwack tells them that they're a new company in competition with *Tomorrow, Today!*, which the workers respond very positively to. Batthwack asks where they are and how they can get out of here. They explain they're at "Flow Station A" in the tunnels underneath the town, right between Waterside and Cliffside. There's an access hatch that leads up into Crumplemeyer's Paper Mill Plant A, though it's for employee use only. Raphina explains they're due to meet Crumplemeyer because they're the puzzle competition winners. The only alternative is to follow the tunnel back to the cave, which annoys Raphina because that's where she wanted to go. Gwen gives each of them a sticky brick from her pouch to thank them for their help. The workers recognise the candy, saying *"These are good. Didn't someone bring us one of these from the other side of the wall once?"* Gwen explains that would have been her; she made those. The workers aren't impressed to hear she's a Watersider, but Gwen says *"Not any more."* Batthwack asks the workers not to mention that they've seen them and they agree, saying *"Seen who?"* Gwen gives them another sticky brick each.

Will, who was still in the room, and hearing the ill will toward the Watersiders has changed his appearance into that of Marko. When he comes out, the workers immediately recognise him. *"Wait? Marko?? You're with them?! I heard you didn't show to your last shift?"* Will/Marko says he's been involved in a conspiracy against the Watersiders. The workers are impressed. The group's appointment with Crumplemeyer was for the early morning. Will wonders what time it is as they haven't seen the light of day since they were arrested. The workers explain it's getting towards evening, so the appointment is still some time off. Will/Marko suggest perhaps going to the cliffs instead because it ought to provide safe refuge from any Watersiders in the meantime.

## Trivia

* The episode title quotes Raphina. Will, in his guise as Marko, was explaining to Raphina why he had suggested they go to the cave, saying *"it's far fucking away from lots of people, Miss... Person-that-I-don't-know-very-well-but-have-been-working-with-these-past-few-months-to-sabotage-the-Waterside-YEAH!"* Raphina says *"It's a good thing we hired you as an escort"* to which Will replies *"I hope that involves nothing else except escorting you around, Raphina"* Raphina says *"Oh now you know my name. Hubbubbada Bubbada!"*

## References

1. ↑ See episode 209: Various Brick Sounds
2. ↑ This was at Crumplemeyer's Fine Food, see episode 200: Abby, We Hear Your Face!
3. ↑ See episode 153: Smoke Weed and Fuck a Lizard
4. ↑ The party were led down one of these by Marko when they sneaked into Cliffside for the first time. See episodes 192: The Telltale Rose Petal Trail and 193: Batthwack's the Fruit!
5. ↑ Inwardly he's screaming *"Yes! Maybe! Probably not! Fuck you man, I'm totally screwed!"*
6. ↑ See episode 202: I Bet You Think This Pneumatic Tube Is About You
7. ↑ You'll recall that Marko was killed by a gelatinous cube in a tunnel much like the one they're currently in. See episode 193: Batthwack's the Fruit!