Episode 26 - The Bubba Bomb

## Episode Synopsis

### Recap

Norman and Zippy went along with Dariun to get his new mechanical eyes inserted. Grim and Zippy performed the surgery and as Dariun woke up, he heard the voice of Dracken. The team joined the basement Broohaha team to get to the castle. They slipped away and spotted Letisha who had the druids chained up. Agreeing to help them later, the team continue on to the unknown back entrance. They swam through and learnt the cold waters housed Bubba, Jadu's security system. They entered into Bubba's feeding room where they were surrounded by arcane eyes and the Bubba giant.

### Episode Summary

Bubba takes the meat and descends back into the water. Dariun explains the arcane eyes appear to be controlled by Bubba. They can either kill him and therefore get rid of the eyes or sneak through with the risk of being caught. Zippy looks around for more meat as Norman and Dariun think more about the plan. Zippy sees some meat remains on the ledge above. He tells the others about how he can create symbols and if someone touches it, the effects can pack a punch. Zippy believes he can put it on the meat and if Bubba eats it, they can deal a large amount of damage. The next question is to fight deeper below or on the surface. Norman notices a wave of vibration and shake as he sees some large bubbles coming up and the heat is intense. They scramble out of the way to get out of the heat. They then decide to fight Bubba above on the surface. Norman and Zippy both come out of their wild shapes.

The team make their way to the feeding platform. Norman requests the immovable rod from Dariun. After some convincing, Dariun agrees to give it to him. Dariun spots an arcane eye coming around the corner and they all duck and hide. The eye hovers away and floats down the hall. Norman and Dariun take up positions on two different icebergs. Zippy's finger glows as he draws on the meat, the symbol of death, the king of Black Bunny castle with a frowny face. Dariun notices the eye is coming back as Zippy is trying to coax Bubba up. Dariun tells him to hide and Zippy drops the meat in the water before he swims away to hide. The meat floats and the arcane eye locks onto the meat ball. Bubbles start to rise. They hear the thudding and the walls and water vibrate. Bubbas hands slam into the walls and another swirl of arcance eyes come up. Bubba opens their mouth and the water pools in and the meat along with it. Zippy starts to float towards the mouth and Norman uses mage hand to grab his ear to keep him away. The arcane eyes notice and start to flicker.

Bubba rises and the meatball floats towards their tongue. The large bullywog eye opens and stares at Zippy before a sudden intense explosion and Bubba slams back into the wall. Some of the eyes fizzle out and Norman gets up and casts hold person on Bubba but it fails. Dariun, activating gail of the serpent, stands up and jumps with his distant strike, he activates the spectral katana and slices at Bubba four times. As the wounds form, heat pours out into the room. Bubba is reeling and the arcane eyes search and find them all. Bubbas arms flail but they all manage to dodge out of the way. Zippy activates investiture of flame and his body becomes covered in fire, both of his ears stand up straight and he tries to run across the ice but he slips into the water. He shakes off the little bit of embarrassment then uses his fire attack on the water in front of him, missing Bubba but the heat of the water goes up and appears to hurt Bubba.

A heat wave bursts out, Dariun absorbs the element and Norman reacts with hellish rebuke. Bubba starts to gurgle and they can tell, Bubba is going nuclear. Dariun tells Zippy to make a rock wall on Bubba as he runs up the stairs. Zippy deactivates his flames and he creates a rock wall on the roof. Norman can see light and heat accumulating in Bubbas mouth. He jumps onto Zippy's iceberg to grab him and he dives onto the rock floor. Dariun casts zephyr's strike and he draws his dancing blade and throws it to blow out the rock wall. The heavy rock wall bursts and falls onto Bubba. The rock wall pulls them down into the water. They all brace and the water glows as Bubba sinks. They feel a shudder and the water shoots up the center, scalding their skin and covering them in some Bubba guts.

After the fight, the team continue up the stairs, with pass without a trace cast on them. They exit into a narrow hallway leading to a ladder. Dariun takes a step forwards and he trips a thin magical trip wire causing two rocks to slam into his ankle. He falls forwards but Norman catches him before he falls into more wires. Dariun heals up his ankle and can see more wires along the floor to the ladder. Norman looks around and finds a spider totem hidden in the sky which he knows is the cause of the trip wires. He casts dispel magic and catches the spider totem as it falls, a graviturgy spider. They reach the ladder and head up to the man hole cover. Dariun cracks it open and peeks in to see a freezer. They all slowly enter in and look through a little freezer window to see a kitchen.

They see two cooks making a meal and Norman uses thaumaturgy to create a sound of glass smashing and footsteps in the opposite direction of them. They sneak out into the kitchen, ducking and going around the counters quietly. Zippy sees some carrots in a table, noticing they don't have long leaves and looks pretty poor quality. Norman spies a large pot of tomato soup, not his recipe and Dariun sees some cooking meat, an abomination. Norman has a quick magic check but nothing seems out of the ordinary, just a bit of unfortunate and mildly infuriating luck.

Dariun recalls the map, figuring out where they need to go to get to the statue. As they sneak down the hallway, they overhear some guards asking about the arcane eye which has gone missing. They make their way to a large circular room where they have come onto a balcony. The large, extremely tall statue of Veruolias holding a wand, mouth open like they are casting a spell, stands before them. They hear the Basement Broohahas gathering below the statue. Dariun radios into Randy, asking him to make a distraction for them. Randy whispers to Robin before he goes to Bradley and Apophis.

Bradley begins his distraction, wanting the bathroom before a major problem happens. Apophis joins in and eventually the Kenku takes them away from the hallway. Randy situates Robin at the base of the statue before also slipping away. Zippy looks into the mouth and sees a magical glyph on the tongue. Zippy slaps his hand onto the symbol and a flash of green magic comes from it and they feel wind picking up. He feels like its sucking in and Zippy sees his hand starting to shrink, then his arm and he feels like he is being pulled in. Shrinking more and more until he is sucked in. Dariun throws Norman in before he follows.

They fall in and the area fades into black. Zippy sees a light down in the distance and as they get closer they see a small island with some torches lighting a small cottage. Zippy starts to slow down and lands softly on the grass outside the hut. Norman and Dariun land behind him. Norman recognises this as the same cottage he saw when he spoke to Victor in the painted realm. They head into the cottage to see a quaint house interior, a wooden stool and table, bookcase and bed. Norman looks around and sees a painting atop the fireplace. A painting of the cottage they are currently in and they see the large torches outside are off but there is candle light from within the cottage.

Norman uses his wand of detect magic and he can tell the whole space is magical but doesn't sense anything specific. Norman touches the painting but doesn't go through. He then uses his medallion of detect thoughts, he hears Dariun and Zippy's thoughts then he hears a third one, a static sound. Dariun tries to match the area they're in to the painting, extinguishing the torches outside and lighting a candle. It gets very dark before they hear a clunk and the fire place moves, revealing a staircase down to a basement.

Zippy takes the lead down into the basement and they see loose papers all over the ground and piled on multiple desks. A large board on the wall has more papers and notes and a drawing in the centre of the black bunny. They also see a door to the side. Zippy gathers up the notes and reads them as he goes. He sees journal entries;

*Coco often separates from the group at night to wonder. I decided to follow him out of curiosity and saw he was actively tracking something. I guess rangers are always in the hunt.*

*Now that we are finally working together I believe we can finally catch that dam ball. Of course, with a few cleverly placed wards and glyphs and symbols almost anything is possible!*

*Nothing works, and its appearances are never consistent. I feel like it's starting to haunt Coco's dreams. I can only imagine how much that bouncing noise rings throughout his head.*

*A conversation, I could not understand it but we finally manages to connect Coco and the black bunny. For some reason it seems that Coco has been chosen by them for a specific mission. They left before we could find out more.*

Zippy picks up some more and continues to read the aloud;

*Coco sleeps more nowadays. He says it helps him get closer to the other side. I just have to have faith that we will all be able to make it there.*

*Coco is determined to make it to the Gods realm but no records show of a way to get there, no plane has access. If only I had more Gazers to access.*

*The other side calls to Coco in various ways and no matter what I try I can't hear it.*

*Sars Gong seems to be very needy and pushy. They have no patience.*

*I feel like Coco is keeping key details from their conversation from me. What is that beat that the two of them tap to?*

*Coco is leaving. He says Gong told him it is time for the leap. Once over there he is sure they will be able to build the bridge back for the rest of us.*

*Coco has taken too long. I will need to find a way to ensure we can all cross over. Bling may have the answer.*

Zippy stops reading, they conclude that the black bunny ball's name in Gong. They speculate that either the plan that Coco and Gong had failed, or maybe Zippy is the other side of the bridge. Norman wonders if his ability to manipulate dreams may allow him to connect to the other side and Dariun wonders if there may be a possibility that Zippy is Coco, reincarnated. He explains how in the Fey wild they believe in rebirth and this may be the same thing. Zippy sees some more notes to gather up to keep and he puts them in his bag.

They push open the door and see an earthy tunnel that leads into open space. They see a wand in a holster and Norman insists Zippy takes it. He takes the wand and moves it. The ground starts to rumble and the earth begins to move. Before them, chunks of earth fly up and creates a pathway for them to walk, further into the darkness. As they walk, they see more islands. One with a large tower like they saw on the moon, another with large snails like they found in the Rorona reservation. More islands with things they don’t recognise; a pond with lavender growing around the outsides, another with a pile of scrolls, a lonely one with a robe and several wands floating around it.

Suddenly, light starts to emerge in tall pillars endlessly arcing up. More and more pillars emerge before them and walls appear. Large, with a huge stone arch way comes into light as the bridge extends to the entrance of a gated area. They enter and see large ziggurats altars with pedestals at the top housing beams of light. Within the light, they see different grand treasure clues; a hilt of a sword, a page of a book, a wheel of a wagon. All different but all with slightly different symbols of Salem. The ziggurats line the walls and in the middle they see a construct standing then. They are in the vault.

## Quotations

* Seth "*I think you thought it would be much smoother than it was.*"
* Connor "*And it would have too if it wasn't for that wascally wabbit!*"
* Jacob "*Dr wascally wabbit!*"

* Norman "*I like it when you* [Dariun] *step on me is what I'm trying to say.*"
* Dariun "*I mean... You're welcome. A lot of people have to pay for that.*"

* Dariun "*Norman, are you telling me you want to hold my rod?*"
* Norman "*Hehe yes..*"
* Zippy "*I don't know what that means, can someone explain to me?*"
* Seth "*Before you can explain…*"

* Zippy "*The symbol of death and you DON’T want to know how I figured that out...*"

* Seth "*It just seems like bad luck and that this was just pit here to irk you.*"

## Featured Characters

### Main Cast

* Norman D
* Dariun Branch
* Zippy Westborrough

### Returning Characters

* Apophis
* Bradley
* Randy
* Robin
* Black Bunny - Sars Gong

## Locations

* Jadu
* The Vault

## Trivia

### Episode Tidbits

* The name for Bubba was inspired by the first fish who every underwent chemotherapy who was named Bubba