Immortal Heroes Archives - Page 29 of 40

Featured Book: Do you pick Sci Fi, Fantasy, or Christmas? #SpaceOpera #ChristmasRomance

Kayelle Allen 12/08/2019 Colonies of Man

Featured Book: Blast Off with Sci Fi

Pick up new reads in Sci Fi, Space Opera, Cyberpunk and more FREE till Dec 31, 2019.

Featured Book: Lights Out!

He can save mankind. All he has to do is die.

Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You'll live forever, they said. You'll save mankind, they said. They didn't say that to do it, first he had to die.

When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he's assigned duty on the space station Enderium Six.

He's facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the corps exists.

Do they expect him to win? Fat chance. Tornahdo and his team are already dead and this mission is codenamed "Lights Out." No, there's more to this than he can see.

To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time--somehow--find a way to keep himself alive...

Featured Book

Featured Book: CL Cannon's SF & Fantasy Holiday Sale

Pick up new reads in Sci Fi, Space Opera, and Fantasy on sale until Dec 26, 2019.

Featuring The Last Vhalgenn

Duty. Honor. Ritual.

One of these things may kill her.

The Vhalgenn is the last of her kind, a companion bred to serve the king. Duty and honor burn in her blood. When the queen begs for a secret blessing to save the newborn prince, the Vhalgenn answers.

But when she takes the babe to the queen's homeland for the ritual, what she discovers could topple the king and overthrow the kingdom. If she saves them--she must abandon every last thing she holds sacred, and do the one thing that will destroy her own heart...

Featured Book

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If this is good news, why hide behind a fake face? #SpaceOpera #FreeBooks

Kayelle Allen 12/04/2019 Cosplay 10 Comments

Fake Face

We've spent the last few weeks talking about the cosplay for Pietas.

However, the single most important person in Pietas's life, other than his family, is a man called Six. Today's post is a scene from the story Lights Out, which chronicles how Six and Pietas met. I'll give you a hint. There was instant respect, but not instant friendship.

In Origin of Pietas, Tornahdo receives the name Six, and it's a direct result of what happens in Lights Out.

The Ghost Corps consists of special ops soldiers who have died, and have been resurrected with the blood of an immortal Ultra.

This scene begins with the delivery of a mission by a man wearing a "fake face" -- which the hero knows right away does not bode well.

Fake Face

The unlit room where Tornahdo and his crew waited closed in as if the walls pulled together and the ceiling sank. The longer they waited, the thicker the air. Warm, heavy with sweat and the tart bite of fear, every breath choked the senses.

More than one ghost pulled at his collar. Tension arced through the room, lightning skating over a metal fence.

Was the anti-emo chip even working?

After half an hour of waiting, no one had spoken.

Probably another test.

Tornahdo, for one, wasn't failing it.

The door opened, bringing a shock of icy air.

They all knew they were being sent to die. They were ghosts. That's what ghosts did. They hammered at Ultras until they perma-killed them or they kept Ultras busy until others escaped. But at least they were getting to breathe first.

In walked a person close to seven Terran feet. Silhouette looked male. Tall enough to be an Ultra. He strode into the center of the room and beckoned everyone closer.

No clue who hid behind the full-body fake-face. It cycled through various images, too fast to keep up. Like trying to count air bubbles rising in a pool.

Remaining at the back, Tornahdo stood at ease.

"This is the best day in human recollection." Speaking through a voice changer, the voice took on genderless robotic tones. "Today, we make history."

If it was such a good day, why hide behind a fake-face and a voice changer?

The chip in Tornahdo's head pinged a stinging reminder to avoid such thoughts. He reined in his doubt and focused.

"This mission is called Lights Out. Your duty is simple. Chancellor Pietas is unconscious. You'll put him in a lifepod. That's it." The guy paused. "Questions?"

A tall ghost removed his helmet. "How can Ultras be unconscious?"

"The peace talks were a trap. When Pietas and the Council arrived, we told them we'd jettison their module unless they entered their lifepods, which they did. Except Pietas, of course, so we siphoned the air out of the room. Before you go in, you'll hyperventilate, store up oxygen. This room is being pumped full at a high rate. Your chip will aid you."

Ultras held their breath ten times longer than humans. Tornahdo had trained to hold his five times longer. Pietas probably managed fifteen or twenty times.

Twelve of them. In a vacuum. Against the Ultra called Bringer of Chaos. Whose motto was, "Pain is a warrior's ally."

No number of chips made that doable.

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Decompress from the Chaos Cosplay? How? @nitsvetov #PietasFans #Cosplay #SpaceOpera

Kayelle Allen 11/23/2019 Cosplay

Decompressing

I watched the live stream of the new Pietas cosplay on Instagram on November 23rd and now I'm trying to decompress. Relax. Take a chill pill. All that stuff.

Well... it's not working.

I just saw my immortal king (who is in how many books now?) come to life before my eyes. I know I'm going to get a link to the pictures from this 3 hour photo shoot. I'll have high resolution photos to enjoy and use for various purposes. Nik also promised to video part of it as well. And then there was the live version. Did I mention it was live? LOL Yeah. Decompress from that... how?

Not happening anytime soon.

Watch the video on this page to see Nik as Pietas the king, done last year. Pietas Ritual

I'll be sharing exclusive shots of both cosplays with members of my reader groups. Are you one of them? Join here. I'll release the link in my next newsletter, out Dec 7th. Sign up now so you don't miss it.

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Live Stream the Kings of Chaos and Cosplay with @nitsvetov Nov 23 #PietasFans #Cosplay #SpaceOpera

Kayelle Allen 11/21/2019 Cosplay

Creating Armor

Last year, Nik Nitsvetov performed as Pietas from the Bringer of Chaos series for the Ritual of Strength. Last year was a live stream also. But before Pietas was king, he was a rookie a plebe in the Discord. Even the mightiest river has a beginning. Playing the immortal king as a rookie teenager in training ought to be fun to watch.

I've enjoyed seeing Nik create the armor Nano-Core designed for this cosplay. The final style is somewhat different because taking a brand-new design and transforming it into wearable armor is a lot of work. Nik had free reign to alter as needed to suit the cosplay. Join us and see the difference during the live stream of his newest cosplay on Saturday, November 23rd at 8:00 am Eastern.

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Chaos is Coming – a Sci Fi Cosplay @nitsvetov #cosplay #SciFi #MFRWauthor

Kayelle Allen 10/30/2019 Cosplay 16 Comments

Chaos is Coming - Sci Fi Cosplay

Pietas, from the Bringer of Chaos series - as close to live as a character can get - at a cosplay live on Instagram the weekend of Nov 22/23. I'm calling it the Chaos is Coming Sci Fi Cosplay.

Nik Nitsvetov has finished the costume and weapons. His work with foam, glue, and paint is nothing short of magic. Wait till you see the final costume! I'll be sharing pictures over the weeks leading up to the cosplay.

Nik lives in Russia, 7 hours ahead of us, so when it's 4pm here, it's 11pm there. Best way to know the time? Try Time.is I've linked this to show Moscow time, which where Nik will do the new Chaos cosplay.

A word about the uniform -- that banner showing the combat uniform was the prototype for Nik to use as a launchpad. I commissioned the uniform from Nano-Core, who also designed the weapons. Everything about this cosplay will be one of a kind, including the character.

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Luc’s house is lit up. Everyone is home. Uh oh! #SpaceOpera #YA #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Kayelle Allen 10/09/2019 MM Romance 12 Comments

Luc's House

Luc arrives home and knows the status of his house will be chaos. Luc's house is orderly. Unless the boys are back.

By the time they drove into the neighborhood where Luc lived, sleet pelted the hoversine. The splash-slide sound of it freezing and then slipping off the vehicle's shields set up an irregular rhythm, a heartbeat out of sync.

Of all the domiciles he owned on multiple planets, this house felt most like home. Dark brown marble trimmed a lighter brown stone and the windows showed lights behind the white curtains.

Which meant his Deshai were back.

Which, in turn, meant his usually immaculate house was no longer so.

What was it about boys? They walked into a house and it was like unsealing an inflatable boat. All available space immediately disappeared. Items fell off them and landed everywhere, scattering across furniture, onto tables, and into every room. Within an hour of anyone's arrival the house looked like it hadn't been picked up in a month.

Surprising how much he'd missed that.

After this, no one was graduating. No one would come back. If they did, it wouldn't be to see him. After all, their new homes would be wherever they decided to work and Luc could think of no reason he'd be invited. They'd want to see each other.

Family. Not him.

A dull ache bloomed in his chest.

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Did you ever dream a story? #MFRWhooks #SciFi

Kayelle Allen 09/24/2019 Character Insights 8 Comments

When You Dream a Story...

I started writing the Bringer of Chaos series when I was seventeen years old. I was sound asleep at home, dreaming about walking the length of a vast receiving chamber, heading for a woman who sat on the throne at the end. The empress was the twin sister of a dangerous man who was not present. He was older than she but he wasn't the king. I didn't know why he wasn't at the time, but that fact worried me. Honestly, to dream a story was never something I thought I could do, but there it was.

I had to walk through rows of soldiers who stood at attention, facing forward. I could not see their faces. I was not afraid to approach the throne. The woman looked amused at how long it took me to reach her. I kept walking and walking but never seemed to get closer. I turned around to see how far I had come. That's when I saw the faces of the soldiers, and my breath caught.

Every one of them had the heads of gray cats.

I woke up and sat straight up in bed.

Why that image should have been so frightening, I don't know. No one was attacking me. No one glared at me. They just looked right at me, and that was enough. To this day, I can see that image.

From that dream was born most of the Tarthian Empire series. The woman on the throne became Empress Rheyn Destoiya. The cat-headed soldiers became the Praetorian Guard, peopled with the Kin, a feline-humanoid race. My Kin do not have cat-heads but they are quite catlike and have pointed ears higher up on their heads than a human's.

Her missing, older brother became Pietas, hero of the Bringer of Chaos series. Discovering Pietas has been a lifelong attempt. Below is an excerpt from the book for you to sample, and you can download the entire first three chapters here.

Excerpt from Forged in Fire

In this scene, Pietas discovers that his friend, Six, has been taken hostage.

"Are you looking for this?" His father's unmistakable voice came to him before the man's faint outline revealed itself in the dark.

Mahikos had captured Six and pressed a knife blade to the ghost's throat. At the point where the blade dug into him, blood oozed.

The blank passivity on his friend's face revealed what Pietas had feared. Six had been compelled into submission. He would stand there and let Mahikos kill him.

Rage propelled Pietas forward.

"That's far enough, Son." He dragged Six backward. "Unless you want your own hands covered in this human's blood."

Pietas ground his teeth. "I will end you, old man."

"Will you?" Mahikos dug the knife edge into Six's neck. "You dared bring this abomination into our camp after it threatened your mother--the woman I love--and you want to end me? This thing is going to die by my hands!"

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Panthers like belly rubs #SciFi #SpaceOpera #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 09/18/2019 Fallen Empires 6 Comments

Flipping onto its back, belly exposed, Tiklaus huffed twice.

"You want a belly rub." Laughing, he rubbed with one hand and stroked with the other.

Tiklaus lolled on its back, legs spread wide, the position trusting and submissive. The big cat sneezed and then rocked to its feet, shaking its head. Claws retracted, the panther batted at him, knocked Pietas onto his back and then flipped itself down beside him. Tiklaus wrapped its front legs around his arm and gnawed at it in gentle play while the hind feet kicked him without injury. Claws flashed, but did no harm.

Now I know how a chew toy feels. He blew out a breath.

When the panther draped itself over his chest, Pietas struggled to slide out from under but could not get up. The animal weighed less than he did, but with no visible effort, it kept Pietas from rising.

"I concede, my friend. You win."

The panther ignored him.

"Tiklaus, off."

Nothing.

"Off, please."

The panther yawned, opening a huge maw. Fangs flashed.

Pietas tried a signal that worked with sparring partners and asked for release by double-tapping the panther's side.

The cat stood at once and stepped over him. It shook from nose to tail, then sat and groomed itself.

He stood and brushed himself off. Standing beside Tiklaus, who reached him mid-thigh, Pietas took pride in knowing this sweet, playful cat was also the snarling ball of animal rage that had nailed his father to the ground. Mahikos had not seen it coming.

He should have let the cat eat him when he had the chance.

Pietas ensured no one was on the path in either direction before he knelt and scratched the cat's ears. "Who's a good kitty?"

The animal sneaked in a lick of his hand and face and flopped down on its back.

"My Tiklaus, that's who. Tiklaus is a good kitty." He rubbed the smooth belly. "Yes, you are! Such a good, big kitty. You're my kitty, aren't you? Good, good kitty."

The panther accepted the attention, one paw twitching. After a moment, it stood and shook itself. A purring sound rumbled from its chest. It sat, licked one paw and added a lick of Pietas's face as well.

He chuckled. "Thank you for the bath." He hugged the panther's neck. "You have as soft a heart as I do but you don't show it either. Pact, my friend. I won't tell if you won't." He kissed Tiklaus on the nose.

The panther bumped its head against Pietas, then bounded to a tree and up it.

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A new Chaos Cosplay coming soon @nitsvetov #cosplay #MFRWauthor

Kayelle Allen 08/28/2019 Cosplay 8 Comments

A new Chaos Cosplay

The date hasn't been set yet, but the newest Chaos cosplay is happening soon. Nik Nitsvetov has been working on the costume and the weapons.

Once he has them finished, we'll determine a date. Trust me, you won't want to miss this. Last year it was live on Instagram and I hope it will be live again this year.

Nik lives in Russia, 7 hours ahead of us, so when it's 4pm here, it's 11pm there. Best way to know the time? Try Time.is I've linked this to show Moscow time, which where Nik will do the new Chaos cosplay.

This cosplay features Pietas, from the Bringer of Chaos series.

Nik Nitsvetov

Nik Nitsvetov is photographer and award-winning cosplayer. A gamer and anime fan, he often cosplays characters from popular series. He lives in Russia and is a strong supporter of Russian Cosplay. His personal photography ranges from cosplay to portraits and often includes animals and nature.

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The Bringer of Chaos has a panda bear @nitsvetov @zackblackvo @Nano_Core #cosplay #MFRWauthor

Kayelle Allen 08/21/2019 Cosplay 4 Comments

Panda Bear -- Bringer of Chaos

That cutie with the adorable smile on the left is Nik Nitsvetov holding a stuffed panda bear. He picked it up in China when he was there to judge cosplay at an international convention in January of this year.

On the right is Nik in September of 2018, cosplaying my immortal king Pietas, who is also known as the Bringer of Chaos.

Yes, that really is the same person.

Unbelievable, isn't it?

That, my friends, is what talent looks like. Panda bear and all.

In 2018, he cosplayed Pietas as the king, performing the Ritual of Strength. This year, he'll be cosplaying him as the soldier. Nik is creating the uniform and weapons he'll carry, designed by concept artist and digital weaponsmith Nano-Core.

If you click the links in the names above, you'll be taken to the tribute page for each person, right here on my site. No more panda bear pictures, but I'll see what I can do in the future.

Take a minute and watch the video below of Nik performing the Ritual. The voice actor is Zack Black, who sounds exactly -- exactly -- like I hear Pietas when I write him.

Want to see Nik cosplay as Pietas, live on Instagram? Pop your email into the box on the right and I'll let you know when the date is set. This email won't be used for other purposes.

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Tag: Immortal Heroes

Featured Book

Featured Book: Blast Off with Sci Fi

Featured Book: CL Cannon's SF & Fantasy Holiday Sale

Featured Book: Viviana MacKade Christmas Book Fair

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

Lights Out

Fake Face

Fake Face

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

Lights Out

Decompressing

Decompress? What...?!

Nik Nitsvetov

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

Lights Out

Watch the Live Stream

Live Stream

Live Stream Cosplay Reservation

Creating Armor

Nik Nitsvetov

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

Lights Out

Chaos is Coming - Sci Fi Cosplay

Chaos is Coming Cosplay Reservation

Pietas Cosplay Reservation Request

Thank you!

Nik Nitsvetov

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

Luc's House

The Antonello Brothers Series

Did you ever dream a story?

When You Dream a Story...

Excerpt from Forged in Fire

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

Belly Rubs?

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

A new Chaos Cosplay

Nik Nitsvetov

Chaos Cosplayer Reservation

Pietas Cosplay Reservation Request

Thank you!

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

Panda Bear -- Bringer of Chaos

Chaos Cosplayer Reservation

Pietas Cosplay Reservation Request

Thank you!

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire