Simba

Facade did not really know what to put for his enhancements on his armor, so he is glad that he is able to get Hestia to help him out. ‘If I focus on evasive enhancements, I might be able to focus on my speed. If I can be quick, I might be able to grind up and catch up to those in the front-line.’ He grabs onto Hestia’s hand and shook it. “I am grateful to you. You have done a lot for me already. You might receive a message from me if I am ever in need of some Col.” He smiles, at her and pulls his hands away. “Yeah it seems like it is best for the two of us to part ways right now. I need to do some catching up with quests. I have been hiding out here for too long. It is time for me to advance out of the first floor and onto the second floor.” He takes a few steps back and turns back to Hestia. “If we should ever cross paths again, I hope to see you well, Hestia. Do not get yourself in trouble. I may not be much of help to you right now, but if you ever need me for anything, I am a message away.”

‘A quest to prove how I am before level fifteen, huh? Now that is something I need to think about. Will I be able to bring a reliable tank? I am going to have to find more players around my level to help me accomplish this quest if anything. I would also need to craft a ton of crystals to heal myself and possibly some antidotes to keep myself from getting hit with the status effects.’ Facade swipes down for his menu and glances at his weapon, seeing that it does not really do much. He checks his inventory and current balance. ‘Two thousand five hundred Col and ten tier one materials. Not sure if this is enough to get me good equipment.’ He swipes away the menu and looks over at Hestia. “Domarus, huh? I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. I might have to see Aereth first for the armor, otherwise I would be taking a ton of damage for no reason.” He stands up from his seat and looks over at the outer parts of the town. “I need to get started with a few quests if I want to catch up to you, don’t I?”

“Macrodon for heavy armor and weapons. Aereth for light armor, huh? It seems like I am going to have to visit those two.” Facade needed to find a way to pay for his equipment as he could not always rely on Hestia to help pay for his equipment, but he might need her to help this one time. “I am a light armor user. I prefer to be quick on my feet, so I am able to evade all the attacks that are coming at me.” He looks at his equipment that he is wearing and they are just vanity, but they are enough to let him be quick on his feet. “I am also using a one-handed straight sword, as I don’t really like using anything else. I prefer to use a straight sword than an axe or a heavy weapon.” Facade is someone who rather be quick on his feet, so he could at least evade most of the damage coming at him. He is not the type of person to sustain damage, so if he can avoid getting hit, he would do so. No point in trying to take unnecessary damage. “Maybe one day I might reach level fifteen and I will not be able to do all the quests.” He jokingly said to Hestia, before sitting down beside her.

‘Someone who has all these unique skills and weapons. Figures that no one would be able to come close to him. I guess everyone else is weaker. Everyone is right to be afraid of him, but if I can get some more information on who he is, I will be able to help others put him down.’ Facade began pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what he could do to beat the first floor. It seems that Death Adder is not known enough, that no one can get information on him, but if he could find an information broker, he might find information on him. “Ah.. That is fine. I don’t think I will be able to do anything if I were to confront anyone that is as scary as he is.” He chuckles and he stops dead in his track and looks back at Hestia. “I guess my main focus should be on training and get to the next floor, huh?” He said with a smile on his face, but only to show her that he was not hellbent on trying to use everyone for his benefit. “If I am able to get my hands on some good equipment, I think questing would not be that difficult.”

Facade stands back and stretches his arms out. “Of course I am going to try to get strong as soon as I can.” He knew that his body will also be exhausted through all the training he will endure, but if the NerveGear can help develop the five senses, he is sure that his body will feel tired and exhausted and he will have to calm himself. “So they don’t meet at all, huh? I guess I will have to be strong enough to take on the bosses.” He said jokingly.

Facade sighs, knowing that he would not be able to find the Death Adder if he is going to be hiding with the front-lines. ‘I will need to be able to match his strength if I ever want to get his attention, but with no set of gear, I am too far behind.’ He glances back at Hestia. “I do have a few questions about the players.” Facade became curious to who is the highly ranked player in the game, so he could seek help from that player as well. “Have you met anyone who is stronger or as strong as the Death Adder?” He became more interested in what is happening in the front lines that he wants to grind his way to the top. ‘If I can figure out where everything is in the first floor, I should be able to breeze through this floor with no problem. I just need to finish those beginning quest, so I can get the gist of where the basic things are.’ Facade slowly gets up from the bench and looks off towards the distance. “I am going to try and meet with everyone at the front-lines as soon as possible.” He added.

‘Death Adder.. Now that is someone who I can go up against. It seems like Hestia is afraid of someone like that, but with a unique set of skills and weapons. He might be a big help to help me through these floors.’ Facade became intrigued in this player, but if he is known to be a player killer, he is going to have to tread lightly around that player if he is ever to come across him. He has yet to meet anyone with unique set of skills or weapons, which made him curious as to how he had obtained such abilities. ‘Someone who is killing players is using his ability for that cause? I wonder what he had done to gain abilities like that.’ Facade looks over at Hestia, she seemed calm about the situation, but if she had to inform him of such dangers, she might not be that calm when Death Adder shows up. “Thank you for informing me. I will definitely keep my eyes out on this Death Adder player. I will be sure to find some information about him as well, so I can stay away from that area.” He looks down at his feet and grins, ‘Once I know his whereabouts, I need to see what he can do myself.’

Facade turns back to Hestia and smiles, “I will be sure to let you know when I get my profession and when I do get a shop up and running, you will be the first to know!” He said, before turning back down. He was not the type of person to help anyone out, but ever since the ‘Death Game’ everything changed. He had to stop helping others out, because some could not hold it together while others broke down. “With my sigh..? Nothing, just thinking about what is going on.” He replied hiding behind a fake smile.

‘So they are mindlessly listening to what their leader is saying.. Seems like a bunch of foolish members who are willing to do whatever to be in power. I guess Hestia has a reason to be frustrated at them, but her focus on helping people will not help finish the game. Maybe she is more fit to be one of those Celestial guys.’ Facade sighs and looks over to Hestia, “I do agree that limiting how players are allowed to help others is wrong, but I don’t agree that players are meant to help each other. There are players who choose to fight as a solo player and they are on a path of death. We can’t stop them from changing who they are.” What he said is what he truly thinks about how the game is. Although his mind is still stuck on trying to get to the top, he is only trying to do what he can to make it to the top. ‘She isn’t wrong though. If everyone is focused on just helping themselves.. They’re just losing their humanity.. How ironic.’

He shook his head to move on from the topic and look over to Hestia. “You’re right.. I guess I will just focus on being an Alchemist. I can just be a walking crystal shop.” He jokingly said. Facade is now determined to become an Alchemist and if he ever does form a guild himself, he is going to become the Head Alchemist. ‘I guess that is some sort of way for me to redeem myself for humanity, right?’ He sighs.

‘A profession? I never really thought about what profession I was going to get. I am not really into blacksmithing, but an Alchemist might be handy. I can craft support crystals for my party if needed.’ Facade tapped on his chin, thinking about the profession he wanted, but did not have a definitive answer for what profession he was going for. “I am leaning towards Tailor or Alchemist. Maybe a lot more towards Alchemist, but I am not sure right now.” Every game that he had played before Sword Art Online, he just went along with the storyline. The professions had little to nothing to do with his grinding when he played the game, so he had no idea what to choose. ‘Alchemist will benefit me more in the long run, as I could constantly craft crystals and I can always find a Tailor to craft me the best light armor. Same with a blacksmith. If I need, I can always find a merchant to help identify my items for me.’

A little notification pops up on Facade’s Heads Up Display, letting him know that Hestia and him are now friends. The moment Hestia brought up the infamous guild, The Knights of the Blood Oath, he knew she did not approve of them. ‘One of the main guilds that are taking on the frontlines like it is no problem. It seems like Hestia does not approve of them, so I can’t go for them for a big boost of help. I am going to have to find another way to get a huge boost.’ Facade had to make sure not to destroy any bridges with the people he just met. He is going to have to keep the tensions low. “I don’t think I am focused on getting a familiar right now.” He looks away, ‘They are just going to keep me from doing what I have to do.’ He looks back at Hestia, smiling.

Facade glances over at Hestia and nods his head, but when she confessed that she is level twenty three and a tank, his eyes glimmered. ‘A tank.. What I need to advance through these floors, but what I need to do is figure out what this dragon is all about. If she is able to support me while I dish out the damage to the monsters, I am going to be able to clear this floor with no problem.’ He extend his hand out to Hestia and has the giant grind on his face. “Then would you like to accompany me whenever I need a tank to help me with my adventure?” He asked as he smiles at her. “I am going to eventually take on a profession and repay you with anything you will provide me in the future.” Facade had to make sure to keep his trust circle small, as he did not want to have problems with other people in the future. ‘If I am able to make my way up to level twenty three, I think I should be fine, as long as I don’t run into trouble.’

The ambition in his heart burn with a fiery desire, as Facade feels like he can take on Aincrad. He swipes down for his menu and hovers over the friend button and looks at Hestia. He taps the button and a friend’s list appears in front of him. He hits the add button and proceeds to type Hestia’s name onto the blank field in front of him. He hovers over the add button and taps on it. On the pending tab, he sees Hestia’s name and swipes away. “I will take you up on that offer. Once I am able to get a handle on things, I will be sure to let you know when I am ready to form a guild with you.” He says to her. ‘With that in mind, if I get a guild together, I can have more resources to move up the ranks.’ He smiles and nods at her.

Facade had a feeling he would not be able to take on all the quest of the first floor by himself, so he would have to put himself out there to make sure he does not get himself killed while trying to finish a quest. He is a DPS player himself, so he would need to find himself a tank. ‘If I can find myself a tank, I will be able to take on the first floor quests with ease. The big problem I have to deal with is this dragon she is talking about. I have not heard of this from anyone yet, so that is going to be a big problem for me.’ He glances around the area they are in and swipes down with his index and middle finger to bring up the menu. He taps onto his equipment menu and sighs, as he is still a weak player that is going to need help with getting better equipment, but he also needs to accomplish a few quests to help him level up his skills. Hestia offered to assist him in helping with a group if he should ever cross that line and could not help but smile. ‘This player has yet to know who I am, but then again, who am I to judge a player. If they are willing to help me with what I need, I don’t mind at all.’ He turns towards her, but notices a frown on her face. ‘I guess that player means a lot to her. Maybe she will figure things out soon or she needs help locating this player. I can’t interfere with anyone’s business right now.’ He looks over to her and offered a genuine smile for her. “I am sure your friend is doing okay right now. Probably grind away for some experience.” He said to reassure her. Although he can not confirm anything, all he could do is be optimistic about the situation.

“The Celestial Ascendants, huh? I will look into that in the future. Since there are a lot more solo players than I expect, I guess a guild should be good enough.” He glances back at his menu and sees the guild button, but swipes the menu away. ‘That guild might only hold me back. I need to keep moving forward, there is no way I can stay back on the first floor. I have to catch up to those in the front lines.’
 

As the two found a spot out of anyone’s view, Facade sat down in a relaxed state as he leans his head against the bench and stares up at the realistic sky. The clouds slowly moving by and the birds soaring through the skies, it almost felt like real life, but it was still virtual. The sound of the wind blowing through the streets of the Town of Beginning. The solid rock feelings under his feet, everytime he would walk on the cobblestone floor of the town. He sat up and leans forward, looking down on the cobblestone pathway. “There are a couple of quests that caught my attention, before I found you. I’m just not sure if I will be able to take on the quest by myself.” He looks down at his hands and tightens to create a fist. “Then again, I have yet to try it myself, right? I need to start doing things without being worried if I can do it or not.” He smiles and sits back up. “I should probably start the lesson quests first. Before I advance up to the second floor. I actually want to do all the available quest on the first floor before moving onto the second floor.” He admits, as he stands up from the bench and turns over to Hestia. He looks right into her eyes with ambition burning into his heart. “I am going to take on all these quests and catch up to you! I will be able to return the favor to you when I can.” He extended his hand to her, as he had a huge smile on his face. “I promise I will be there for you when you need it.” His eyes locked onto Hestia’s as he heard her offer of helping him on a few quests.

Facade sighs as he did not even need to try so hard to find someone to help him. “I thought I had to try harder to convince you to help me out with a few quests, but I guess I didn’t need to do it after all.” He smiles, as he sits back down on the bench. This was the first time he was able to get someone to help him without him manipulating them.

Facade watches as Kuro circles around him and heads back to Hestia. ‘Could this familiar be a scout? Examining me, to see if I could be a problem to her or the familiar itself.’ He looks up at Hestia and nods his head in agreement to his suspicion. “I guess I do need to start putting my trust into others. I am just not used to putting my life into anyone’s hands, if I know I could keep myself together.” He knew the game is going to be damn near impossible to accomplish on his own, so he would need the help of other players to help him rise through the ranks. Hestia began explaining why there is a need of teamwork and he nodded his head, as she explained the situation with most players. “I understand what you are saying. There are a lot of ways players can handle certain situations, but not everyone can handle the situation alone. Just like the players who took down the first boss of this floor. Without the help of others, we would all be stuck on this floor for a long time.” He sighs, knowing that he would not be able to take on the first floor on his own, as he is as weak as the Frenzy Boars on the floor. “I guess I am doing great now, since I am trusting you right now, right?” His knowledge on the game is slowly increasing, but he had to keep a low profile and work his way up towards the front lines. Right now, he has to slowly make his way around the first floor and grind his way out of the first floor.

Facade has noticed other players with odd colors for hair, but there was information he had heard that players could dye their hair if they purchased hair color from the shops. “I guess you are right. There are people with more bizarre hair color than my natural white hair. I think I even noticed someone with pink hair.” He was not sure if the information he had gotten from eavesdropping other players were true, but the only way he would know is to find out himself. “I don’t really have anything to do, so let’s find a bench to sit down. Don’t really want to sit around here with all these players just walking around us.” He replied. He had yet to explore all of the Town of Beginning and he was already interested with the things around him.
 

Facade felt a huge relief that has been lifted off from his chest. Hestia was no longer a stranger to him, as now he has the name of the person he is speaking to. He lifted his hand off the hilt of his sword and had a much more relaxed stance. “I was looking over your direction, because of that amazing familiar of yours. I never seen one on this floor yet, so I became interested in it. Then I realized that you are an experienced player who has already advanced through this floor and was thinking that I could get you to help me get used to how things are around here.” He admitted to her, but he was just trying to get better equipment for his journey to the end. The equipment she has equipped are not enhanced with any type of enhancements, so they were just vanity clothing. The feeling of his equipment were surreal, but he knew it was just the NerveGear sending signals to his brain. He shook his head and smiled back at Hestia. “I do apologize if I am acting hostile towards you. It is just natural for me to act this way towards anyone, especially since we are stuck in a game of life and death.” He knew the warning Hestia was giving him, but he is not the type of person to act openly in front of people he had just met. He appreciated the gesture and now knew that he could trust her.

Facade looks down at himself and smiles back at Hestia. “Yeah my odd features get a lot of attention from everyone. I try to blend in with the crowd, but with this snowy white hair.” He lifts a partial bit of his hair and smiled at her. “I will always be the center of the attention in a crowded room.” He jokingly finished. “Also these clothes do not help, as they do not look like the standard blue and brown set that I have seen.” He added.

Facade notices the player gestures for him to come towards her, but he had to stay calm and not do anything irrational. He does not know what could happen, but he knows the safety of the town will keep him safe. There were others around him, but he doubts that she was calling for anyone else, but if she is, it would be quite embarrassing for him to walk over towards her for no reason. He heads over towards the girl, not knowing what he would have to say when he got there. A thousand of thoughts flooded through his mind, but he had to think optimistically and try not to make the situation he is already in worse. ‘She seemed to be really decked out in equipments. I only have this vanity piece of equipment and the sword that I was provided. If I can get her to help me advance through this floor and get better equipment, I might be able to get out of here in no time.’ He stops a few steps away from her and kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Were you calling for me? I wasn’t sure if you were, since there are a lot of people around here.” Facade extended his hand out to greet the female player.

His sapphire blue eyes meet with her blue eyes as well. That was something that was different from everyone else he had met on this floor. There was someone who shared his identical eye color, but he had to stop focusing on the small details. He glances at her black hair with a silver streak running through them. He is almost fascinated by the way she looked, but he almost did not believe the look. At the beginning of the ‘Death Game’ the person who revealed himself to be Kayaba Akihiko gave every single player a mirror item that reveal how everyone actually looked. That is when he realized that anyone with their odd colored eyes or hair is actually real. Then again, he stood out like a sore thumb with his snow white hair. His hand still extended, he offered a smile to the player. “My name is Facade.” Giving only his handle name, to keep his identity away from others. Although he might not know anyone from here, it is better for him to keep his real name hidden from people, just to be on the safe side.

Facade had been stuck on the first floor with many players who were afraid of leaving, because they did not want to lose their life. His sapphire blue eyes examining the world in front of him, as he still did not believe that he in stuck in a 'Death Game.' The feeling of the breeze blowing through the Town of Beginnings felt all too real and his snowy white hair blowing back by the wind. There were some players who have advanced through the floors coming back to the Town of Beginnings to help others, but Facade stuck to the shadows and away from people. 'I need to start my training and move my way up towards the next floor. If I sit around here forever, I will never make it out.' He walked along side the alleyways and made his way to the center of the Town of Beginnings. He notices a lot of players gathering around each other and realizes they are setting up for a party to enter the wilderness.

Facade walks out of the alleyway and towards the center. 'I should probably get started on a quest, but I don't think I would be able to do much without any sort of information.' He glances around the area and something caught his attention was a white lion sort of creature he had not seen before and the wings were as dark as night. 'What in the world is that? There was talk about creatures that would fight alongside players, but I have not seen one before.' It seemed like the owner of the familiar is someone who had advanced past the 'Noobs' of this floor. If Facade wanted to grow stronger and head up to the higher floors, he would need to get the help of other players, but he was not the type of person to initate a meaningless conversation, so he kept himself at a distance. Only seen in the starting gear provided to him at the start of the game. Black long sleeve shirt accompanied with a dark brown leather tunic. He also had black fingerless gloves, dark brown pants and black boots to match his attire.

Simba

Real Name: Cai Yuuki
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Birthday: October 20
Age: 20
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 67.5 kg
Nationality: Japanese
Alignment: Lawful Good

HISTORY
Simba was born and raised in Japan, and comes from a low income family. His father has been labeled missing, but people have said he had died along with his brother and sister. His mother passed due to complications with birth and was left alone since the age of twelve. Growing up with no parental figure took a toll on his social interaction with people around him. During high school, he would avoid all sorts of interaction and did his best to stay away from everyone and always kept a low profile. His snowy white hair did not help, as he stuck out like a sore thumb on a summer day. 

With all the time he spends alone, Simba is always online playing all sorts of game. Ranging from RPGs to MMOs, but what caught his attention was a game called Sword Art Online. Not privileged like the first thousand of players who were able to test it out, but he heard good things about the game. He became interested in the game and wanted to get his hands on a copy of the game, but he needed to work fast, because the beta was ending and the official game will be released. Facade began working for people to get enough money to buy the game on the official release. 

Working his hardest to make a few extra cash on the side to buy the game was more of a hassle for Simba. He had to exert more time socializing with people to get a job than he ever did in high school. He lived on his own with government funding the living expense, but he had to maintain a certain grade point average to continue the funding from the government. He still worked, but only to have food for himself on the table and enough to buy Sword Art Online once it releases.

On November 2nd, Simba began queuing up in line for Sword Art Online and a few people were stoked to get the game. He was able to get his hand on a NerveGear from someone at his college campus. Although it took some convincing, he was able to get one himself. November 5th came around and the stores began selling the game and everyone poured into the game center, grabbing a copy of Sword Art Online. He was able to buy a copy and waited excitingly for November 6th, when the server is on.

November 6th, Simba put on the NerveGear over his head and placed the game onto the side piece. "Link Start!" This is when the story begins..

VIRTUES
Optimistic: Simba is always looking at the positives of any time. If anything seem bleak, he is always thinking of a way to make the situation better. His quick thinking and fast-paced attitude make him ideal for solving large-scale problems before damage is done. His optimism also make him pleasant to be around, and has helped him become more social with a lot of people.

Adaptable: Most of the time Simba spends his time figuring out puzzles and trick mind games whenever he is alone. He would look at things from a different perspective, making him think outside the box to solve problems easily.

Steadfast: Simba is determined to survive being trapped in Sword Art Online, and refuses to allow the situation to deter him from finding a way out of the game. He fiercely believes that he will not only survive this experience, but will find some sort of entertainment out of the deadly environment. He is still a gamer at heart. Although he always hid from others, he now wants to distinguish himself and strive to become one of the top ranked players so that he will be acknowledge by those around him.

FLAWS
Manipulative: While many will freely admit Simba to be an optimistic individual, his kill with words and flare for the dramatic are not without a dark side. For all of his life, he had learned to manipulate his surroundings and blended himself around crowds of people. He was able to manipulate a classmate of his to give him a Nerve Gear for a cheaper price that the classmate bought it for. Taking his theatrical talents to the next level has allowed him to learn to outright manipulate those around him.

Stubborn: Only a few people can change his mind, as he is a difficult person to deal with, doing whatever he pleases. Some people say that he is cocky or overconfident, but others say that he is a spoiled person. They just don't know who he us.

Mysterious: Simba has always had a hypothetical mask on him at all times. No one knows his true personality as he never hangs out and about for people to figure him out. He would keep meetings brief and leave without a word.