Ultras Archives - Page 22 of 33

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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How to Watch Nik @Nitsvetov perform as the Bringer of Chaos #PietasFans #Cosplay #SciFi

Kayelle Allen 07/24/2019 Cosplay 2 Comments

Meet the Bringer of Chaos Cosplayer: Nik Nitsvetov

When I first saw Nik Nitsvetov, he was portraying Sephiroth from Final Fantasy. But the expression on his face close up was pure Pietas. It was months before I discovered he had an Instagram account. I signed up so I could follow him.

My mother was an artist who was admired by those who saw her work. She always longed to have more of her art seen and appreciated, so I understand how important it is to support artists. When I find artists I admire, I find ways to encourage them to create and do everything possible to enable their abilities. Most of the time, a simple note of appreciation does wonders.

When Nik began his Patreon account, I was the second person to support him. I'd have been first if I'd known about it sooner, but it took months for me to get up the courage to ask if he'd cosplay Pietas for me. When he wanted to know more, I was both shocked and excited. I couldn't wait to figure out how all this would work. He performed as the Bringer of Chaos cosplayer in September 2018.

Not only did I get amazing photographs of him (they are all over this site), I also got to see part of it live on Instagram.

If you're not sure whether I'm a fan of Nik's, you seriously have not been paying attention. I even created a tribute page for him on this site.

Chaos Cosplayer #2

This year, Nik is creating another cosplay as Pietas, but this one will be the immortal king as soldier. Nik is hand-making the uniform and has been sharing snippets of it on Instagram. Follow Nik to see all the details.

Want an update and advance news when the cosplay will occur? You can make your Chaos Cosplayer Reservation now. Add your email and you'll get advance notice about the cosplay. I anticipate it sometime in August 2019. I'm not sure if there will be others in the future, so please do sign up so you'll know what to expect. (You can opt to receive other emails later. This will be used just for the Chaos Cosplayer Reservation.)

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~ Copyright ©2025 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

My characters may be found in multiple books in my story universe. Pietas images Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay.

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Six and Pietas Perform the Ritual of Strength #SciFi #SpaceOpera #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 06/19/2019 Cosplay 2 Comments

Six and Pietas "pretend" the Ritual of Strength

"We should have cut your hair before we set out." Six rummaged through his kit, which held all his belongings when he'd been abandoned on this world. Little more than survival gear.

Pietas tossed back his hair. "I never cut it except in ritual."

"I know." Six withdrew a boning knife used for it. Before every battle, Pietas performed the solemn rite to affirm superior strength and prowess. Six had been the first human to see it carried out, albeit the first half from a distance while hiding. He stood. "Maybe you could perform it now."

"How like you to see the easy solution. But there are a few elements missing. No fire. No water. No mask." He gestured toward the oncoming storm. "No time."

"Haven't you ever heard of pretending?"

"One cannot 'pretend' a ritual."

"What a boring childhood you must've had. Why not?"

Pietas opened his mouth to answer. Shut it again.

Six lifted one eyebrow. "Do you want to go into that dark hole and meet up with your people without performing it?"

"No, but there's no time."

"Rain's coming." Six jerked a thumb toward the forest. "Like I said, you have to go in there or you won't reunite with your people. Are you going to stand out here making excuses, or do this?"

"Ghost, this ritual is important. It deserves respect."

"Blah, blah, blah. That storm is bearing down on us." A few drops of rain splattered them both. "See? Or maybe you'd rather have your sister help you with your hair every morning."

"Fine!" With a resigned sigh, Pietas capitulated. "How do you propose we 'pretend' my ritual?"

Six tucked the knife into his belt and held out his cupped hands. "This is fire."

Pietas hesitated.

"Come on, Pi." Six wagged his cupped hands. "This stuff is hot."

"Of course it is." A smile slipped onto his face and refused to leave. "It's pretend fire. That's the hottest kind."

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The Dragon Dagger and the Ritual of Strength #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 06/12/2019 Fallen Empires 1 Comment

The Dragon Dagger

Dessy picked up the dragon dagger and twirled it. "You should let our people know you still do this ceremony. They'd be impressed by your devotion."

"I don't do it to impress anyone. I do it to ready myself for-- Stop!" His sister had been sliding one fingertip along the edge of the blade. He removed the dagger from her grasp, and examined the edge.

"Honestly, Pietas! I was just testing the sharpness."

"I didn't want you to cut yourself."

"I'm as adept with blades as you. More so, if you ask me."

So like Dessy to miss the point. "If you'd cut yourself, I'd have to consecrate it again. It can only have my blood or my enemy's."

"You think I'm witless? As if I haven't performed this ceremony with you a hundred times. And here I thought you were concerned for my well-being."

"Stop playing, Dess. I told you, I'm busy."

She let out a harsh sigh. "Fine. Let's complete the ritual."

Dagger in hand, Pietas unfastened the clip in his hair, and let it fall. The wet tail slapped the middle of his back. He tossed the clip aside, placed the dagger on his palms, and offered it.

She poised her hand above it. "Who offers this weapon?"

"First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras."

She took it from him. "For whom are you willing to suffer?"

"I suffer for my people." Pietas turned his cheek.

Dessy slid the dagger tip along his face, from cheekbone to chin, drawing a thin trail of blood. "For whom do you bleed?"

"I bleed for my people." By the time the first drop of blood had risen, the cut had healed, leaving no scar.

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Light blared like a blast of horns #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 06/05/2019 Fallen Empires 11 Comments

A Blast of Light

The infernal, cheerful whistling began again. Pietas tried in vain to escape the sound. Shackled at the ankles, hands bound behind him, he remained flat on his back. There were no comfort choices inside his pod.

No. Not his pod. He would never claim such a place.

The prison pod. The nightmare pod. A casket for the living.

Would that whistling never end?

Whoever guarded him whistled, night and day. He must have lips made of steel. How a human kept that up day after day was beyond him. Or perhaps... Did an Ultra guard him? Had one of his people come to free him?

Pietas opened his mouth to call out, and clamped it shut.

If it were one of his people, he needed to wait for them to act. They would do so when the time was right. For now, he suffered bouts of agony as feeling returned to his hands and then left in repeating cycles. His metabolism healed him, but brought pain. He focused on that, accepted the pain, welcomed it, and examined every step of its journey through his body. What one understood, one could bear.

An Ultra does not seek to escape pain. If one inflicts pain, one must bear it. Pain must be borne. Pain is a warrior's ally.

He hovered in a nightmare-filled, windowless, endless monotony of thirst and hunger.

Punctuated with unending lilts of bouncy, alert, happy, chipper whistling.

At first, he'd welcomed the sound. The rising and falling notes broke the tedium of everlasting darkness. It stopped for brief periods, but began again soon after.

He'd considered calling out and asking them to stop. He had gone so far as to open his mouth. But asking implied weakness. He acknowledged no tool of torture.

Beg mercy from humans? Never.

This was not stasis. Stasis meant cessation of thought. Of emotion. A dreamless kind of sleep. The end of awareness. A not-time.

They'd frozen his people in these pods, but they'd imprisoned him.

Or perhaps his blood ran so hot, no human force could freeze him.

The tune changed.

For the love of all that's holy, will you shut up!

Blessed silence fell. But then light blared in his face like a blast of horns.

What fresh perdition was this? They'd tortured him with darkness. Now they'd torture him with light?

Pietas tried to force his eyes open, to face the torture, but after so long in darkness, the light stabbed his eyes. He twisted his head to avoid it.

"You-- you're awake?" The startled voice hovered close, muffled by the pod. "Security! Security! Prisoner Six-Six-Six is out of stasis! I say again, Prisoner Six-Six-Six is out of stasis!"

The alarm in the male voice gave Pietas a measure of pride. Even imprisoned, he engendered fear. They had taken away his name, and given him a number that among humans meant a demonic beast.

Let the legend of Pietas--by name or by number--bring fear straight into the heart of man. No... let it bring terror.

The alarmed voice led him to another thought. Had they not known he was awake? No. These vile creatures had readouts of every type. How could one mistake his beating heart and steady breath for anything other than wakefulness and life? They meant to keep him aware and suffering. They knew.

But whoever was guarding him hadn't. Pietas might hate humans, but he knew the difference between genuine alarm and fake fear. He'd been instigating the real thing for centuries.

Interesting. He could use that.

His eyes adjusted to the light, and he focused on the face hovering over the small window above him.

Was that...Ghost Six?

The light cut off, taking with it the familiar comfort of sight. Pietas bit the inside of his cheek to keep silent.

First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras, did not beg.

He did not. He did not.
---

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Go home. This is your last chance #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 04/30/2019 Kayelle Allen 8 Comments

Ravenstongue sauntered toward him. "Why you here?"

Tornahdo kicked back in his chair. After stretching out his legs, he crossed his ankles. "Why do you care?"

"Big ops tomorrow. Lights out in ten. Time for you to go home and go to bed."

Behind the bar, the keeper closed up shelves and battened down doors.

"Yeah?" Tornahdo flicked a hand toward the door. "I'll follow you out."

"I'm not leavin'. Didn't you hear? We passed inspection with the highest scores. Got a free night out." Ravenstongue jabbed a finger toward Tornahdo. "But you gotta go home like a good boy."

In no kingdom in the galaxy would that happen.

Ravenstongue lifted two fingers, signaling his cohorts.

The keeper ducked behind the bar while the goons flanked their wannabe boss, imbecilic grins in place.

A pair of demons usually sat on Tornahdo's shoulders. The bad demon laid out strategy while the good demon discouraged action. Tonight, the good demon flipped a middle finger toward Ravenstongue with a not-so-subtle suggestion to kick his ass.

Tornahdo took his time rising, slid his chair under the table. "What did you say?"

"I said, 'You gotta go home like a good boy.'"

Hanging his thumbs in his belt, Tornahdo gave him a slow smile. "Go back to the bar, finish your drink and we'll pretend we're all friends and leave together. This is your last chance for a peaceful end."

"Peaceful." With a scoff, Ravenstongue jerked his head toward Short Goon. "You hear that?"

"Yeah. Maybe we oughta do what--"

Ravenstongue jabbed him with an elbow.

"I mean, yeah! I heard that." He leaned closer to his boss. "We gonna?"

"No, you idiot. Shut your face and back me up."

How did these hotheads enlist? Ghost Corps must have been desperate for bodies. Literally. A fighter's corpse they could reanimate. Which was a sobering thought.

Was that what the corps thought of him?

Lights Out by Kayelle Allen

He can save mankind. After he does one important thing. 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...
Lights Out is in the Science Fiction/Space Opera anthology The Expanding Universe Vol 4, edited by Craig Martelle out Sept 17, 2018
https://kayelleallen.com/lights-out-save-mankind/

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What is Stress: Not being allowed to throttle an idiot #Humor #MFRWhooks #SciFi

Kayelle Allen 04/24/2019 Fallen Empires 4 Comments

What is Stress? Working with idiots...

WordWeb says you can define stress as difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension. Such as having a boss who's a jerk, or a coworker who's lazy or... well, you get the idea.

In today's post, a snippet from Lights Out, the hero is having a bit of stress...

In this scene, Tornahdo has been chewed out for something that in the regular army would have gotten him a commendation. Even a medal. But Ghost Corps is not regular. Not one bit. He sits down to have a drink and calm himself down, but one thought leads to another.

Tornahdo's family believed him missing in action. He couldn't go out in public. Ghosts got call signs, not new identities. He'd earned his by the way he fought, which, according to those who'd been resurrected with him, was a tornado.

"No, he's Hispanic-Terran," one had said. "He'd pronounce it different. We'll call him Tornahdo."

To which he'd offered a sweeping bow. "Sí. Gracias."

If taken prisoner, the enemy wouldn't find out who his family was, or who other ghosts were. Like any cover story, the more you lived it, accepted and believed it, the more solid it became. He was Tornahdo. Every minute. Every day. Right now, he fought the urge to kick into full tornahdo rage and slam through a certain officer's quarters. On his desk, his former commander had a framed quote, hand-stitched by his wife.

"Stress: the body's reaction to not being allowed to throttle an idiot."

How many times had the man shouted that Tornahdo was stressing him out? More than he cared to admit.

But today, he knew exactly what that quote meant.

Lights Out by Kayelle Allen

He can save mankind. After he does one important thing. 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...
Lights Out is in the Science Fiction/Space Opera anthology The Expanding Universe Vol 4, edited by Craig Martelle out Sept 17, 2018
https://kayelleallen.com/lights-out-save-mankind/

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Tag: Ultras

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

Meet the Bringer of Chaos Cosplayer: Nik Nitsvetov

Chaos Cosplayer #2

Six and Pietas "pretend" the Ritual of Strength

Watch Pietas perform the Ritual

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

The Dragon Dagger

Watch Pietas perform the Ritual

Origin of Pietas

Forged in Fire

A Blast of Light

Go Home

Lights Out by Kayelle Allen

What is Stress? Working with idiots...

Lights Out by Kayelle Allen