At age sixteen, Mink Jollè still hasn’t discovered his Elemental affinity, which is an identity crisis unheard of on the planet Georra. He has endured constant bullying while being held back in school, and his parents have come to employ drastic measures to help him mature. Their current ruse is a camping trip on Rift Ridge, where they test Mink to the breaking point, to no avail.
Meanwhile, Mink and his parents run across a Machinist scout searching out a mother lode of ore, who finds more than he bargains for. An immense geode buried deep in the ground is fabled to be the Tear of God, and the first nation to claim it will hold power and protection unrivaled on Georra.
The race is on as Mink’s parents stand guard at the Tear of God, sending Mink back to his homeland for help. Defying the odds and surprising himself, Mink succeeds in delivering the news to his people, and is chosen to assist a Team in returning to the site to relieve his parents and acquire the Tear of God for Octernal. Along the way, Mink is forced to rely on his strengths without an Element in order to win respect and ultimately discover his true identity.
Raymond has enjoyed writing from an early age. He lives in Coastal North Carolina with his wife and two daughters. His character driven stories reflect the diversity of the places he has lived and the jobs he has had, focusing on animals and film.
On Georra, every Elemental type has its own Movement effect. Sledding for Wood users, and Slip Skate for Water users. This excerpt shows both of them as Mink's Cell is getting ready to set out. It's important to note that not all Movement effects increase speed, or are even about moving the user's Body. I will, however, go ahead and tell you that the Primary Elemental Square users' Movement is slower than the Derivative Elemental Square users' Movement.
This scene also shows the chant for Slip Skate. The Penbik twins are able to keep their Movement effect active because it only works when they Unify with their Sleds (scooters in this case), but Sapo has to Dispel her Movement effect when not in use and perform the chant when she wants to start it. This all shows aspects of Elemental life without pausing the action for exposition. Very little of the Elementalists' effects are for combat. It's just their way of life.
Book Excerpt
Tear of God – Elements
Mink turned back toward the scooters, recollecting Tolrin’s comment that the army had all the Wood users it needed. Mink felt sorry that Dreh had missed out on this mission for not being on the same level as the Wood users he had seen so far. Dreh had been at the top of his class since fourth grade and still didn’t make the cut. Being without an Element of his own, Mink lived vicariously through Dreh’s acheivements, and took his friend’s absence personally.
He caught up with the Cell as Tralé and Mouké stepped onto their scooters. They stood in a sideways driving position with backs turned to one another. Tralé gloved his left hand, and Mouké his right. Mink wondered how they planned to steer single-handedly. Then he noticed that their pinkies, as well as their thumbs, were exposed for Unification with the scooter, allowing for balanced pressure to steer. These two were on a whole new level of control.
Tralé pointed Mink to one end of his scooter, where ledges on the board’s edge were located at the base of the upperward curved portion. “Put your feet on those. And hold on here.” Mink looked up to the top of the wave-like crest where a couple of scoops served as handles. “Let me know if you need adjustments,” he added.
Mink mounted the scooter, hugging the outside of the upward curve. To his great surprise, it supported him very well under and inside of his thighs, as if he were on a seat. Yet, wasn’t he supposed to be facing the other way? The scooter’s design made him believe he was a hood ornament.
“It’s perfect. Only, how will I see where we’re going?”
Tralé thumbed to the open side of the board opposite Mink. “That’s the front,” he informed in a patronizing tone.
Mink nodded dumbly, then looked over at Alré, positioning herself on the other twin’s scooter. Mouké had removed his glove and was busy Manipulating the curved portion to accomodate Alré’s elongated form. Sapo spoke her Slip Skate chant in the elided manner of a Water user,
“My feet slide on a Water flow.
Gracefully, I glide where I want.
My hips control the direction.
The Water under foot remains.
The side of my foot slows me down.
I feel no friction to slow me.
My Water enhanced by Spirit.
Rush me around upon my spit.”
Having implemented the effect by spitting on the ground, Sapo played her feet back and forth, watching them with her hands deep in her pockets. Slip Skate couldn’t keep up with a Wood user’s Sledding speed, which meant that it would take them longer than anticipated to reach Mink’s parents on Rift Ridge. Water users couldn’t have prolonged contact with Wood, as it sapped their energy. So it wasn’t as if the twins could give her a lift.
“Ready,” Mouké confirmed to Tralé.
Standing on the board, Tralé placed his hand atop the curved portion of his scooter, right in front of Mink’s face. He watched as Tralé’s thumb and pinky turned to Wood and slipped into the crest. Simply being connected to Tralé’s power, Mink could tell that the scooter felt lighter, as if it were Imbued with an Air user’s Featherweight effect. That couldn’t have been the case though, because it was Tralé’s touch that seemed to cause the change. Mink racked his brain for any possible way to explain the sensation with only one of Tralé’s hands connected.
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.