Weekly Wordzzle Challenge #188

I'm still going with the story of Fred Johnson,  Paragon of Virtue, though I hope it is drawing to a close soon. It's hard to believe that it has been six months since I started it. Time really does fly. Thanks again to Argent  - well thanks sort of - these words were HARD! - for this week's words.  I got my mega done but am really stumped for getting these bloody words into the mini and the 10-word, so I think I'll post what I have so far and finish tonight or tomorrow.  Ok... it's about a half hour later and I have done the other two. I have really stretched to get the word in, but now I can relax for the rest of the evening.

Here are links to the previous episodes.  If you need/want to catch up, click here for the 1st installment, 2nd installment, 3rd installment, 4th installment, 5th installment, 6th installment, 7th installment., 8th installment, 9th installment, 10th installment, 11th installment, 12th installment, 13th installment, 14th installment, 15th installment, 16th installment, 17th installment, 18th installment, 19th installment. 20th installment, 21st installment, 22nd installment, 23rd installment, 24th installment, 25th installment, 26th installment, 27th installment..

Words for this week's 10-word challenge were: nickle, banshee, render, foil, noodle, aggressive, smooth, hat stand, cat, treat,  And for the mini: mode, bread, blues, epic, tripod

My mega: 

After a brief discussion it was decided that the best mode of operation would be for each of them should recite Grandfather Purist's incantation in turn, thus mutiplying its impact, after which they would intone the "it's always darkest before the dawn" key in unison. The very pregnant Bubbles, who sat holding her grey cat Parchment in her arms and smoothing it's soft fur with one hand as she offered treats of small pieces of  bread with the other, went first. "Remember son, the Number One,Sun to sun, the Number One, Day is Done, the Number One, that is how the spell's begun, First we dance, then we run, then we watch the web be spun. Hate expires, Love has won, Love is ONE. Dawn of day to setting sun. Remember always Number One,"  She was followed by McFlash, the dragon, the wizard, the Paragon and finally Count Psycho, each in his turn. As each of them spoke, the dark energy in the room seemed to become - for want of a better word - more aggressive. First a tripod in the far corner fell over with a loud clatter, followed shortly by the sight of a hat stand rising up to fly like an arrow in their direction. The wizard downed it with a flick of his wrist, but it was still unsettling to see for someone like the Paragon who was a newcomer to the world of magic.There was more to come, though. By the time the dragon was taking her turn, an epic banshee-like wail began to rise up out of nowhere, loud and vibrating with rage and a darkness so intense that even the wizard and the dragon had struggle not to be sucked into a deep feeling of the blues despite all the magical protections with which they had used to foil the power of any dark magic that came at them. For his part Fred Johnson feared that his legs might have been rendered useless. They felt like wobbly wet noodles beneath him. With a sense of great relief he heard Psycho finish his turn. Making sure that Cane and Parchment were in tow, and that they were all connected hand to hand, they spoke the final words in unison. "It's always darkest before the dawn."  Instead of a vortex this time, the tapestry became three-dimensional and a road appeared. They stood in stunned silence for a moment and then the wizard chuckled. "Your father took no chances, Psycho. Any suggestions anyone, on which way to go?"  To answer the question, the Paragon pulled a nickle out of his pocket. "Heads we go left, tails we go right." he replied, "unless someone has a more sensible idea."

The 10-word: 

The wizard chuckled. "The Earth custom of flipping a nickle is an intriguing idea but I think we need to take a more aggressive approach at this juncture; we have to use our "noodles" as I think they say on earth for this one..."   "Yes, I agree," Paraphrase chimed in, picking up the hat stand as she spoke and then smoothing her scales distractedly. "I think perhaps your dog Cane and Bubble's cat should do a little recon for us before we proceed into the tapestry ourselves. I have equipped them with foil locators so that Spark can transport them back should they run into trouble with the banshee or any other curse Psycho's father may have planted in their paths. In addition Spark and I will wrap them in spells that should render them safe from any attempt to harm or restrain them. In addition Cane and Parchment are both able to communicate with me telepathically so you need not fear for their safety. For our part, while they explore which road to take, we should do two things to prepare ourselves. First, we should treat ourselves to a small meal to keep up our strength and second, a close inspection of the two marionettes you mentioned, Paragon. I believe there may be more to them than meets the eye.

My mini: 

As she spoke the others realized that they were very hungry indeed. "I wish I had my basket," the Paragon muttered, feeling a kind of deep exhaustion.. He had become accustomed to that convenient mode of getting his meals. So easy and delightful to reach into the basket and find some new culinary delight from Confetti, whose food not only nourished but healed. "I suppose we will have to make due with bread and water and maybe I can magic up some jelly beans."  As he spoke, Psycho and Bubbles had picked up the fallen tripod and were sorting through the debris to set up a make-shift table. Bubbles gave the Paragon a playful elbow in the ribs and chided him. "I know you have not been among us long, Paragon, but do you forget that you are in company of a master wizard and a dragon, among others? I imagine that we shall have an epic feast before we continue on. The wizard has already manifested a new basket and Confetti is preparing a meal for us and for our 4-leggeds as well." As she spoke, Psycho came forward with a basket much like Fred's own. At the sight of it, Fred felt his blues lifting in anticipation, but before he could reach in and discover what the chef had made for them this time, he was distracted by a gasp from the other side of the room where the wizard, McFlash and the dragon were investigating the strange red-headed marionettes.

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Words for next week's 10-word challenge:  brick wall, plumage, suspense, stripes, wheels, fire, augment, shrug, speculate, questions 

And for the mini: melody, crank, broken, space, chill

Thanks you for playing.  Newcomers can check here for some guidelines to make the game more fun. There are no rules, just some general guidelines and tricks.