Kenneth Valden

"Who said you're allowed to back down? Scared because the Boss decimated our front lines and wiped out nearly all of you? Pitiful. You forget what we're fighting for. We do not fight to achieve #1. We do not fight to protect our miserable lives. We fight because we must. We fight because we cannot do anything else.

''So go run and hide, shrimps. Let the big boy show you how to live life."''

-Boss Battle on Floor 26

The Guild master of Forlorn Hope, Kenneth Valden. He became extremely famous due to his audacious attacks against bosses by merely himself when the remaining forces were too afraid to act. However, he has come out of all battles alive and has never died in game. His presence on the battlefield is a huge boost to morale, especially if he leads the charge. He is one of the very few players to wield a unique skill.

Appearance
Rather elaborately dressed, Kenneth has a black military uniform and cap. On his left shoulder is a flowing red cloak, while golden chains decorate the main uniform. He has pale golden hair and brown eyes.

Personality
As leader of his guild, Kenneth is perpetually cool, sarcastic, and observant. He always drops small, witty remarks but never says things outright. To his guild members he is no different. He only acts slightly more kind in his interactions with those he cares deeply about.

However, when it comes to the game, he is fiercely dedicated to ending it. He cares not who ends up winning, since the longer it drags on, the higher chance the Reapers will get stronger and permanently kill people. His guild is not meant to protect each other, but to fight for the liberation of Aincrad. As such, he does not worry or care that much about individual members. His closest friends, however, are a different story.

In battle, he demands that his guild be fearless and charge head on. Even though he is not meant to be a frontliner, lacking a shield, he never has any hesitation about attacking head on against bosses themselves. Few are sure where his bravery or foolhardiness stem from. It is indisuptable, however, that he IS the spirit of the front line and one of the few single blade wielders to dare step beyond the safety of shields.

History
He has refused to reveal anything about his life in the real world. When SAO began, he quickly united a group of people to challenge the first boss and defeat it in less than a week. This group he randomly picked eventually became known as Forlorn Hope, his guild, minus a few players who went solo. It continued to excel in combat and grew to be one of the largest guilds in Aincrad, tied with its rival. He appears when the boss fights seem to be extremely difficult to boost morale and lend his enormous combat prowess.

His most well known battle where he became a legend was with the boss of the 26th floor. The soldiers were decimated by the time he arrived, but Kenneth did not seem to hear their cries. Instead, he walked up the boss and did battle with it one on one until further reinforcements arrived, avoiding attacks and hitting back for minutes on end.

From that point on, he became known as "The Eagle" of the liberation.

Plot
/*to be filled as the roleplay progresses*/

Equipment
Weapon
 * [Mortality]: A Nodachi, or basically an extremely long katana. Due to its size, it is much harder to wield but compensates for it with extreme cutting power. It is especially effective against heavy monsters (aka bosses). It is also extremely durable, as it has never been even scratched in a battle. He got it after killing the boss of the 26th floor.

Equipment
 * [Crimson Cry]: A unique item drop from the 26th boss. It is a scarlet cloak he wears draped over one shoulder. It provides absolutely no defensive bonuses; in fact, it reduces the user's defense by 20%. However, it raises all stats by +20. In addition, it gives +50 accuracy. It has become his signature item and billows whenever in battle or wind.


 * [FH Uniform]: Most of the higher officials in Forlorn Hope are required to wear a military uniform like his. A few choose to not. It gives small percent bonuses to every stat. They are all handmade by a division in FH.

Unique Skill
三足元 で 死(San ashimoto de shi): Literally "Death in three steps." His unique skill that revolves around the extreme striking power and acceleration of his nodachi. The Unique Skill allows him to accelerate his blade at speeds not normally possible for someone at his strength.
 * First Breath: First combo. First, the sword is sheathed. It is quickly followed by an upward cut that leaves the opponent exposed. He follows it with another upward cut from the opposite direction, knocking them off balance. The coup de grace strike is most likely lethal, as the blade will become enormously enhanced and incredibly fast and powerful.
 * Second Flicker: Second combo. A rather difficult attack to line up, as it rqures "charge-up." To begin, Kenneth plants his sword into the ground. By then accelerating his blade, he slashes upwards through the ground with incredible speed. This attack generally forces the opponent to back off very quickly, losing their balance. He then abruptly swings the Nodachi downwards, dislocating his shoulder to give it additional reach.. As the attack breaks the opponent's hasty defense, he spins his entire body around to deal the finishing blow, slashing through their torso cleanly.
 * Final Gasp: An “ugly” technique that relies on an ally's help. Kenneth absolutely hates leaving the ground, as he views throwing yourself to the mercy of the enemy with no means of escape. Kenneth launches himself as high as he can, sword trailing behind him. Upon descent, he swings his sword downward with all his strength at his target, more likely than not cutting it in two. Upon landing, he gathers his strength again and launches himself forward, cutting at the enemy. His momentum will carry him beyond the enemy; however, an ally should be in that direction, with a sword planted in the ground. Kenneth then uses it as a final surface to reverse direction and stab with all his might. It is most likely a suicide technique, as it relies on the opponent not being able to counter any of his jumps.

Other Abilities
Incredible Skill: Perception is necessary for this combo. It requires perfect precision and timing on his part if it is to be even nearly effective. As such, he will often dance around and not strike heavily, waiting for his chance to take the enemy down with one ability.

Aura of Leadership: Due in part to both his achievements and personal appearance, he inspires others to follow him and throw away their fear.

Trivia

 * Glimmer's Character!

Relationships

 * Dio Godfrey: Even though they are generally neck and neck in ranking, neither seems to hold any competition with the other. Instead, Kenneth understands that they have different roles; where his is to be the symbol of the fighting front, Dio's is the unite the rear. As such, they are amicable with each other and know each other well.
 * Marie: Ever since they agreed to band together to defeat the first boss, she has remained at his side. She the sword he trusts the most to keep order in his guild and watch over the members. He, as the symbol, limits what the guild sees of him. She, however, does not need to worry so much about that. For that reason, he deeply appreciates her and has risked his life to guard her on more than one occasion. All in all, she is the one person he would want to watch his back.
 * Zeed: Kenneth first met him in a low level area, as he was gathering up allies for the first boss fight. Zeed agreed to help him out, along with numerous others. They annihilated the boss with ease due to perfect teamwork among the members. Afterwards, Kenneth invited him to join Forlorn Hope, but Zeed preferred to go solo. Kenneth respects him as a person, but disapproves of Zeed's loner nature. "Yes, a man can change the world by himself. But a man cannot change the world with just himself." Nonetheless, they get along well and often meet in the front line planning.