Skeith (SAO:ToD)

"I HAVE FOUND YOU..."

- Skeith to Haseo

Skeith is one of the seven rare AI's in Sword Art Online, also known by Kayaba Akihiko as "Waves." It also serves as the "Avatar" of Haseo.

It also serves as one of the major characters in the story, "Sword Art Online: The Terror of Death."

Appearance
True to its title as the "grim reaper," Skeith appears as a deadly creature with a mechanical-like body, possessing three red eyes in a triangle pattern with two curved horns, golden spikes protruding from its knees and shoulder, as well as a scythe with a form of "flaud" around its waist.

When it tested Haseo to see if he was compatible, it took on his former appearance as the "Terror of Death," albeit completely white.

Personality
At present, it is unsure whether or not Skeith actually has a personality. Though it is an AI, it is unlike others, which are presumably based off of a human mind. It is confirmed to have a sense of awareness, as it attacks any program that gets close to it, especially the Deadly Scythe that occasionally spawns as a hidden boss in the Black Iron Castle. However, given that no other player in SAO other than Haseo, Kayaba Akihiko and Ovan had encountered it, it remains unsure whether or not it is capable of any emotion. That said, it does have a "sense of desire," as in its encounter with Akihiko, it deemed him "unworthy" and tried to delete him, and showed hostility towards Ovan. When it fought with Haseo, it showed elation, proclaiming that Haseo was "worthy," showing that its desire was to find a player compatible with it.

Since merging with the player character of Haseo and becoming Ryou Misaki's "Avatar," it has demonstrated a mindset similar to a child - curious of its surroundings and others while imprinting information from Haseo's actions to better understand the world around it. It has obvious disdain and hate towards the other "Waves," which affects Haseo as well. As it has been imprinting data from Haseo, it shares his anger towards "Tri-Edge," and wishes to eliminate him.

History
Skeith was among the first of the "Waves" to be designed by a mysterious group, as part of a project to create the U-AI (ultimate artificial intelligence). However, due to a mishap in a test run, Skeith and the other "Waves" escaped, traversing the world wide network. Along with two others, Skeith found itself inhabiting Sword Art Online, where Kayaba trapped it and the other two "Waves" in an effort to understand and integrate it into the game. However, Skeith rejected Kayaba, considering him "unworthy" and tried to erase him, leading to the Game Admin to seal it away inside the Black Iron Castle.

Skeith would then take residence in one of the dungeon's "secret areas," waiting for a player to arrive and try to see if it could merge with their avatar's data in an effort to attain better understanding of the world around it.

Akihiko Kayaba
Skeith first encountered the player of Heathcliff shortly after it found itself inside of Sword Art Online after traversing the world wide network. Curious about its nature, the game master sealed it and two other AIs similar to it inside of the game, and tried to integrate it into SAO. However, Skeith had battled him in order to determine if he was compatible so that it could try and gain better understanding. It eventually deemed him unworthy and tried to delete him, forcing Kayaba to lock it away in the Black Iron Palace's secret area.

Ovan
At present, it is unknown why Skeith despises Ovan, as when it merged with Haseo's data, its memory revealed that they had met before, and showed open hostility towards the missing leader of Twilight Brigade.

Haseo
Haseo was the third player Skeith had encountered, and also the one it deemed worthy. Haseo considers Skeith a powerful tool he intends to utilize to its fullest potential, and his trump card in his rematch with "Tri-Edge." Since becoming his "Avatar," Skeith has been imprinting data from him, thus sharing a few characteristics with him, such as his hate for "Tri-Edge." It also shows great attachment towards Haseo as well, increasing his power whenever he is threatened, though Skeith's nature regarding the other "Waves" has also passed on to Haseo as well, causing him to become hateful of them.

"Tri-Edge"
Since merging with Haseo's data, Skeith, due to imprinting, shares his hate for the PK, though its reaction towards it in Haseo's rematch with it also demonstrates confusion, causing Haseo to realize that "Tri-Edge" is not a player, but rather something else entirely.

Abilities
Since merging with Haseo's data, Skeith shares the same stats as him, and increases its host's power to "game breaking level," with only individuals like Kayaba, Ovan, and "Tri-Edge" capable of standing on par with him, along with other individuals compatible with "Waves." Curiously, when Haseo's power is increased by Skeith, the AI's name is displayed, rather than the username.

When he combated Haseo to see if he was worthy, his stats were equal to Haseo's prior to his data being corrupted by "Tri-Edge."

Like all "Waves," Skeith is one of the few systems capable of counteracting the AIDA.

Battling Haseo

 * Level: 66
 * HP: 11,543
 * Main Equipment:
 * Hellscythe Armor Set, Twin Fangs (Daggers), Zweihandler, Scythe (Axe-type Weapon)

"Avatar" Form

 * Level: ???
 * HP: ???
 * Main Equipment
 * Data Drain, Skeith's Scythe

Trivia

 * It is implied that the group who created Skeith, and by extension, the "Waves," were the story's version of Project G.U from .hack//G.U.
 * Skeith's ability to increase his user's stats to game breaking level is similar to that of a "hack," in reference to the source material in which he first appears in.
 * Skeith, along with the other two mentioned "Waves," are the only AIs from .hack//G.U. set to appear in Sword Art Online: The Terror of Death.
 * Strangely, Skeith's only skill, "Data Drain," is also considered to be a weapon or equipment as well, possibly referencing the Twilight Bracelet from the original .hack games that preceded G.U.