Mito
When Mito completed this questline in the beta, she was by herself, so the predicament she found herself in after finding the golden key was uncomfortable. However, compared to right now, she rather not have been in a party of five inside a crowded sack.
When Jaymes, Kirito, and Asuna returned to Koharu and Mito at the entrance hall, Mito had forgotten the next part of the quest, so it surprised her as much as the other girls when a cloud of green gas clouded their vision. Naturally, Koharu and Asuna freaked out, but their male counterparts calmed them down as the mist ascended to their noses and paralyzed them all.
Typically, one could avoid a poison attack like this, but Mito remembered that this was a forced event, a cutscene if that helps. There's nothing to be done about this. They can't move their right hand at all, unlike normal paralysis, where the movement of that limb is possible but severely limited. As a matter of fact, the only muscles not paralyzed is those responsible for eye moment and respiration.
Yet Jaymes and Kirito willed their partners through intact hand contact to not worry and remain calm. Mito doesn't have that benefit, but once her memory caught up to the events, she wasn't afraid anymore.
After the gas vanished, two men in hoods appeared - identifiable as men because Mito knew who they were - and approached the quintet. The smaller of the two came close to them, then picked up a nearby pot with a skull symbol on it. That was the source of the smoke. The man removed his hood and gas mask, revealing his identity to them all.
Cylon, the lord of Stachion.
"Well, well…I'm quite surprised, swordsman. I did not think you'd find Pithagrus's hideaway so soon. It took me many years to find it…because I never expected it would be in Suribus, rather than Stachion. I am curious about the hidden formula behind his puzzles that he kept so secret…but I'll start with this first."
He walks to Asuna, taking the golden key from her inventory as if it was directly in her pockets. Probably a mechanic just to make the scene work as it would in a movie. After a quick examination, he said, "Ahhh…I'd been hoping I would find the cube itself here…but I do have an idea of where I might find the door for this key. Surely, the item I seek will be there," He tucked the key in his cloak and smiles at the party while stroking his beard. "You did very good work for me, swordsman. Normally, this is where I would say farewell…but in fact, I have another job for you to do. Do you mind if I ask for your cooperation once more?"
Cylon snaps to the larger man, who whips out a large sack. First, he reached down for Kirito, heaved him up with ease with his enormous fist, and stuffed the beater of SAO inside. Here, Mito wondered if there'll be a sack for each of them, but her question was answered when the man chose Jaymes as his next target and dropped him in the sack with Kirito. Mito, Asuna, and Koharu followed in that order.
Their faces and voices might be paralyzed, but their emotions were not. Mito was sure no one was happy about the crowdedness of the bag, especially the boys who bore all the weight of three girls in armor on top of them. Oh, and there's Mito's scythe, which fits inside by some means.
Within the darkness of the bag, Mito could hear everything. They were carried out of Pithagrus' home, then through the streets of Suribus. While other players were enjoying the nightlife of Suribus, the five of them were loaded onto a carriage bed. Their trip will return them to Stachion, a one-mile, five-minute trip by horse. At least it is a free trip back to the puzzle town.
That's the present for Mito. Her thoughts linger between how Asuna and Koharu, who knew nothing of this, might explode at Jaymes and Kirito once the paralysis wears off to how they'll spend the night again in Stachion. In the boys' and Mito's defense, they just wanted the other girls to experience what they did in the beta, so some surprises are best left hidden. They're not in any real danger.
"Bree-hee-hee!"
That was a horse's whinny. The carriage stops abruptly, still in the wilderness, based on the sound the wheels make on the dirt road. This...did not happen before, if Mito remembers correctly. Mito's ears become her brain's total focus as she listens for what goes on outside the sack.
"Who goes there?! I am Cylon, lord of Stachion!" Cylon's line is followed by the sound of metal against metal and the tipping of the carriage. The bag rolls out to the grass, its opening slightly parting, giving Mito and the others some view of what's happening.
Cylon and the large man are fighting a pair of bandits. The former pair have yellow cursors over their heads, while the black-hooded bandits bear orange cursors. Yes, this event did not happen in the beta. Mito was transported back to Stachion. It's unusual for a quest to change this way, but as they've learned, beta knowledge is not always reliable...
No, it is very uncommon for a quest to change, especially one as long as the Curse of Stachion, to be modified. Any gamer worth their salt knows that. And something else is wrong...and once Mito realizes it, her breath hitches.
NPCs have yellow cursors. Enemy mobs have red cursors. Players have green cursors...unless they're coded as criminals, in which they obtain a semi-permanent orange cursor. The bandits fighting the NPCs are criminal players.
And just as she reaches that conclusion, Mito watches as the player battling Cylon cuts him down ruthlessly with a sword skill. For a moment, the force of the attack pulls away the hood of the cloak, revealing a tattered coif with silver chains. Internally, Mito grits her teeth at the reappearance of the player who she first encountered in the catacombs of Kurlain - Morte.
How did Morte and his companion find them? Is it a coincidence...or were they stalked?
If the former is true, then that makes sense. Kirito and Koharu revealed that Morte was a beta tester and had done something similar in interfering with the Elf War quest on the third floor. Assuming he knows of the "Curse of Stachion" quest, the bigger question is whether he's specifically after Mito and her party or just whoever came in and out of Pithagrus' home successfully first.
And will he kill them?
"Killing a lord is a grave and terrible crime!" Cylon shouts, his body lying against the carriage bed, pointing his hand at a stalking Morte. "You will never be allowed in Stachion—or through the gates of any other town again!" This does not affect Morte as he switches from sword to axe with the Quick Change ability and slams it down on Cylon's head with a smile.
Cylon's HP empties out, and the deceased lord of Stachion tumbles out of the carriage bed, bouncing near the bag before coming to a still. His body lights up blue before shattering into hundreds of shards, replaced by numerous items. Gold and silver coins littered the ground, but Morte ignored them for the bag.
"Hey, if you're done with the old man, help me out! This fat-ass is pretty high-level!" That voice, the nimbleness, and the dagger the second cloaked figure's wielding elicit a mental growl for Mito. That must be Morte's partner, who was also in the catacombs and who Jaymes initially called out to be Joe, a member of Kibaou's ALS. There's been no proof since they have never seen his name, but the coincidences are numerous. If they're here...could their boss be here too, the man in the black poncho who attacked the boys the previous night?
"Joe" dodges the large man's punches, but his attacks aren't doing much damage. Mito prays that the man could hold out a while longer against the PKers until the five recover, but Morte does something unexpected. "Sorry, I'm busy right now. If you can't take him out, then pull him into the forest and lose him there, please." His companion protests but taunts the large man anyway and heads to the woods to the south, the large man right behind him.
Silence ensued for a moment — complete, unnatural silence, as if nature held its breath. Then the sound of feet landing on grass breaks the mold, followed by a chuckling Morte as he heaves his axe on his shoulder. He steps over the coins, entirely entranced by the bag and its contents. Well, well, well. I've been awaiting you, Kirito. I had a feeling you'd accept the lord's quest, but I wasn't so positive that I was gonna follow you the whole way from the start. Instead, I just sat watching Py-whatsit's hideout from an inn starting last night…Oh! Whoopsie."
Feigning embarrassment, he scratches his head with the back of the axe. "Boss always tells me I oughta watch out about talkin' too much, but it doesn't look like that's ever going to change, does it? On the other hand, it'd really suck if you recovered from your paralysis while I'm just chatting on and on, so I'm afraid this is where we say goodbye."
Morte begins to approach again. Mito glances at the five health bars of her party, seeing the yellow border indicating paralysis blinking. Thirty seconds until they can move again is enough time for Morte to kill them. Mito, closest to the opening in the bag, would die first.
If only they'd been more vigilant. They might have considered this possibility if the beta testers weren't so preoccupied with keeping Asuna and Koharu away from spoilers. And now, Mito had made another mistake and brought Asuna to the cusp of death again. Asuna might have forgiven her, but Mito dared herself not to make the same mistake as she did against the Nephantes on the first floor.
But this time, there's no way she can defend her friend. She can't reach for her scythe. The items that Cylon dropped include the gold and silver coins, pouches, an exuberant longsword, the mask, the key, a small jar, and his upturned shoes. None of those things are within reach, and even if they were, it wouldn't matter; the debuff is still in effect.
As Morte steps over to the side of the bag where Kirito is, only one thought perturbs her mind: What can she do to save Asuna?
Suddenly, she hears a gust of air from the back of the sack. Through her limited field of vision, she knows that Koharu and Asuna are beside her, so the breath sounds must come from Kirito or Jaymes. Whoever is blowing air repeatedly is trying to convey a message of sorts. Blow air? Where? What could air do?
Something clicks in Mito's head as her eyes contact the small jar and spot the skull on its side. Right now, it is closed and upright, but Mito can tip it over... She thinks nothing more of it, inhales sharply and blows quickly at the jar. Almost as quickly, the breaths of Asuna and Koharu follow, and with the combined power of three strong breaths knock it over and open. Now she inhales again but holds on to that air.
Green air surrounded them again, and they could hear Morte's alarm. However, the mist didn't affect them this time as they weren't inhaling the fumes or in a scripted event. Since one's ability to hold their breath relies on their body's actual lung capacity, someone like Koharu, who's an athlete, or like Asuna and Mito, who're athletic enough, can hold their breaths for a while. A useful ability when swimming in VR since that can prevent the Drowning status and HP loss.
While the five hold on to their breaths, the debuff on them disappears. Immediately Kirito gets up and reaches for the Sword of Eventide, ripping the bag apart and engaging a charging Morte in combat again. Mito reaches for her Reaper Scythe and glances at Jaymes. He silently directs Asuna to grab the golden key for Mito and Koharu to head to the north with him, and Asuna'll stay with Kirito. All those commands with his fingers and a fierce, unyielding glare in his eyes. Not once did he look Kirito or Morte's way.
Why keep Asuna here with Kirito when she has the key? Mito doesn't question him, not that she could talk with the poison right now. She watches as Kirito chases Morte out of the poison gas, then Jaymes and Koharu race out of the cloud of smoke. Worried for her friend, Mito turns back to Asuna, who grabs the key and the mask off the ground. The key returns to her inventory while the mask is placed over her face. She tests her ability to breathe, and once she finds herself safe from the poison, she says one phrase to Mito.
"Go, Mito. I'll help Kirito!"
Seeing Asuna's determination flare in her eyes, her desire to fight alongside and protect Kirito...Mito can't resist that. Without hesitation, she races after Jaymes and Koharu, just in time to see that the dagger-user has returned and the hoods have Kirito at a disadvantage. However, neither noticed the retreating trio as Kirito had their backs to the road.
So once they were safely back on route to Stachion, Mito finally spoke her mind. "Why didn't you join Kirito and fight Morte and his partner off? That's much safer than-"
"That was Morte? Nevermind that... Quite frankly, I don't believe they're alone. This is to draw those who linger out while making it seem like Kirito is disadvantaged. To those two, we're still paralyzed."
"But Asuna-"
"Trust her." Koharu's voice is calmer than expected as she faces forward. It holds weight as well. Koharu, who has only known Asuna for a month, is telling someone who has known Asuna much longer and in the real world to trust in their friend. Not simply in Asuna's skills or ability, her brilliant mind, or in any other description that Mito could conjure. But to trust in Asuna...just as Asuna, two floors ago at the Dark Elf castle, asked Mito to trust in Kirito, Jaymes, and Koharu.
While Mito lets Koharu's words sink in, she hears a distinct metal click before her. Jaymes raised his shield and threw his hand out to stop the girls. Beyond them is a single figure in a dark cloak, the same as Morte and his compatriot. Barely visible in her hand are two thin strips of metal, about four inches in length. Are those...throwing picks? Jaymes must've deflected one.
"Damn. Almost got you, haha!" The hooded hoodlum lifts their head slightly, allowing Mito to see underneath. Instead of a bare face, though, a black mask covers the upper parts of his head. The third hooded player greets them with a sickening chuckle and teeth-baring grin. "Morte got a boner for the Kirito, so I figured, and that sleety bastard wants Asuna's rapier so bad he'd kill her. What a useless bastard. So I decided to hang back, see who the stragglers are." He unsheathes his dagger and licks it. "My name is Annihilator. I'm a fan of you two, Jaymes and Koharu. It'd be an honor to slay the Crimson Warrior, and as for the Kindred Assassin….hehehehe."
"Mito," Jaymes says, reaching for his sword. She can only see the right side of his face from slightly behind him, but there's an intense fire in his chocolate eyes. "Get to Stachion. Keep it safe. Koharu, you—"
"We fight together." Koharu draws her powerful Bullstar dagger. Stunned by her declaration, Mito has to bite back a gasp as she glances at Koharu. That look of determination is the same as Asuna's. The desire to fight with and protect her partner…and Mito can't understand that.
Jaymes doesn't say anything more. He nods to Koharu, and the duo sprints toward Annihilator without hesitation. Mito follows and passes by, being the decoy as she heads toward Stachion.
Only one thought crosses her mind. "Everyone, be safe."