Part 60: chmod 700n

With nothing else to do, Tyria and her entourage headed for Ku. They had to pass through the Nuturing Facility again, and Aoto was still amazed by the damage done to Finnel’s chamber.



By the way, that broken tank was quite a mess.
Hey, can we stop talking about that?
But I can’t get over it…
I never thought anyone could be born in such a dramatic way.
Actually, I’m really impressed.
Is that supposed to be a compliment?
Heck, yeah! It’s so cool!
Really? Then I feel good.
But please answer this one question for me…
Did you punch it, or did you run into it with a whole lot of momentum?
That’s…oh!
What?
I’ll switch to her. You can ask her in person.
In person? …Whoa!

Soma came out to answer the question.



S-Soma!
Why are you so surprised? Don’t you want to know the answer?
I did, but I was startled because you guys switched so suddenly.
So…how did you break it so theatrically?
In short, it was as you imagined.
It wasn’t easy, though. That tank was really hard.
So, you did it, right? You punched it a bunch of times until it cracked…
Bumping.
…Huh?
I used my bottom to crack it.
And then, as you said, I broke out of it like some kind of robotic kid.
…
What?
Well, unlike what it looked like, how you broke it sounds kind of cute…
Cute…? What are you saying?

They headed up once they got inside the Tower, to a place they couldn’t progress before.



It's a dead end.
The gate is shut. It serves to keep invaders from easily accessing the top of the tower.
exec bansh dand 0x0110: SHD>>tyrievalis_x01.
Whoa! That was a surprise.
Once we enter this gate, your eyes will be bombarded with sensory treasures.

The inside of the Tower was clearly unfinished as they reached the higher levels.

Video Record- “In the Belly of the Beast”

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Feinne on Qoga: Inside the Tower
I’ve got this so you can see how much more awesome the party is when backed up by Level 4 Hyumas. Also this place is super cool.

High above the world, Tyria and Aoto were walking together.

Video Record- “Above the Sky”

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This is so tiring! We've climed up so high already...
Yeah. We're almost at the top. Hang in there just a little longer.
Alright. By the way, we're so high up. How far did we climb...?
We're 4,300 stons above the ground.
Oh yeah, this Tower is like your body itself, right?
Yeah.
*sigh* I can't believe how advanced the technology was 700 years ago... This is like mega scale.
That's right. Harvestasha and I were created from that technology.
So, are you two are like old childhood buddies?
...I guess you could say that.
...? Are you okay? What's wrong?
...Nothing. I'm fine.
...Were you thinking about Harvestasha?
…
Well, I'd be shocked if I found out that my old friend turned out to be a real bitch, too...
But you're the only one who can change her back, right? So, you won't have to worry about it for much longer.
I guess not. I feel better. I was only sad because she was the only being in the universe I called a friend.

Aoto treating someone right is scary, it’s like he grew as a person or something and I don’t know what to think about that.



...Thank you, Aoto.
...Oh, you don't have to thank me so seriously. I don't know what to say...
...Oh yeah, back to our original topic, what does it feel like to be the Tower? I can't even imagine...!
How does it feel...?
It's like...say you're eating clams when you bite a piece of gravel that's stuck to the shell and chip your tooth...
...Sorry, but would you mind using a simpler example?
Oh, that doesn't ring a bell for you? Hmm...it seems like there's been a huge generation gap over the last 700 years.
But...you're the Tower itself. That means you have control over the world, right? That must be really nice...
I'm fed up with it. I wanna do something else.
Like what?
Gal wife.
…Huh?
Gal wife...doesn't that sound neat? I like the way it sounds...that must be really cool.
Well, sure... I can imagine some men would like that.

So yeah, Tyria asked Aoto to marry her.



Huh!? W-wait a sec!
I learned a lot about humans. Human gal wives wear aprons directly on their naked body and cook food for their dumb husbands. Do you want to take a bath first? Or do you want to eat dinner first? Or else...do you want to take me, first?
I don't think that's exactly accurate.
How 'bout it, Aoto? Do you wanna be my darling husband?
...Well, that wouldn't be so bad.
Really? I'll put octo-sausages in your lunch box.
...What are those?

If a certain person’s constant complaints are any indication it is in fact very hard work to administer a tower. It’s also a pain to climb the stupid things.



*huff* *huff*
Are you okay, Tyria? It looks like you're suffocating.
Yeah, she does! Tyria, are you okay?
What's the matter, Tyria!? Is something wrong!?
*huff* *huff*
I'm exhausted...
...Huh?
How much farther do we have to climb? This is waaay too high...
What are you saying!? You're the Administrator! We've been climbing this Tower forever.
I was refraining myself from giving up. Tyria is a strong girl! Praise me!
You sure are a great Administrator!
Well, I've never seen an Administrator get tired in the middle of climbing her own Tower...
Administrators can get tired and hungry. They get sleepy at night too, you know?
It's natural to get exhausted when they finish climbing their Tower.
...Well, that's actually true. It's kinda expected that they would get tired from climbing their own Tower.
I thought Administrators were immortal and omnipotent. I'm sorry, Tyria.
We had stupid ideals about you. I'm sorry. Please forgive us.
...Fine, as long as you understand. I hate it when you guys misunderstand me.
Okay. Since we don't have much time left, let's move on.
...Why do they always try to put an end to their silly talk to make it seem like they're serious or informative?

Saki, ever positive, decided to come up with a way in which it was good that the Tower was so huge.



So…I wonder why the inside of the Tower is such a labyrinth.
I know. It’s hard to even get to the second floor.
What’s the point of having to search for an elevator every time you want to go up one floor?
First of all, didn’t anyone think of making an elevator that goes to any floor?
Hmm…
I think it’s the architect’s kindness that he didn’t build an elevator that goes all the way up.
Oh, I’m dying to know why it’s kind to make a tower that’s like a maze.
For health reasons.
If you rely on an elevator, you’ll be out of shape.
When you get to the top floor, you’ll have an incredible feeling of accomplishment.
…Why do you need an incredible feeling of accomplishment when you climb a tower?

Tyria learned that Aoto is too stupid to be scared of things that should scare him, which is always handy.



Do you remember the place where you can warp into the Tower?
Oh, that was awesome! I can’t believe we could teleport to another place in an instant!
…Weren’t you scared?
Scared? Why?
…
Nevermind. Don’t worry about it.
Now I’m curious…
If you weren’t worried before, please don’t worry about it.
Ignorance is bliss, right? Never think about what’s happening to your body when you teleport.
You fudged your explanation. It was even creepier…

If it’s anything like how you pass through the Frozen Eye he probably was happier not knowing. He was starting to get creeped out by something else, though.



Hey, I can think of the Tower as your body, right?
Right. In other words, when you enter the Tower, it’s the same as being swallowed by me.
Are you gonna digest us!?
No, I won’t. You guys don’t seem very tasty.
…So, you could eat us if you wanted to?
Aoto, who do you think I am!? The Tower is not equipped with a digestion system!
You’re the one who brought up swallowing!

He also took a very confusing question to the person responsible.



Hey, there are chests in the Tower, right?
If I didn’t prepare them, no one would bother to visit.
First of all, it’s unnatural for there to be treasure chests in the Tower.
Who the hell put them in the labyrinth?
O-of course they were there when the Tower was first created.
Making all those chests was the hardest task.
…What unnecessary labor that was.

With no further interruptions, they reached Ku.

Video Record- “Ku”

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The top of the tower is so different... It's spectacular.
Let's start.
exec aulla Dia=harvestasha: SHD>>tyrievalis_x01.
This is the maintenance pod. Use it like a Dive Machine to enter the Binary Field and restore her from the inside.
But if a human enters the Binary Field, they will instantly be dismantled into packets of information and destroyed.
No worries. You're only entering a pretend Binary Field. It's like a remote controlled simulation.
As I said, the effects on your senses mimic that of normal Dives. These senses can be interchanged both ways.
In other words, it's like the real world. You feel pain, you can inflict agony, and you can even die.
Correct. Shall we?

Even with the danger, there was no choice but to proceed.

Video Record- “chmod 700n”

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Is there a good place to access it?
I don't see any difference.
Every location is different. Your eyes may perceive it all the same, but each location controls a different purview.
I don't understand...
Tyria, you're so amazing.
Alright, let's call Harvestasha out.
exec ini Dia=harvestasha: SHD>>tilievalis_x01.
There she is...!
...Harvestasha!

Unfortunately there was no way to do a full shutdown and restore on Harvestasha without turning her back on.



Some of us aren't human.
You are ALL THE SAME! Everyone who accompanies these maggots are all on the same level!
...What an atrocious personality. Well, calm down. We're here to fix you.
Oh, well that's good news to me.
Good, that'll save us some time. Then why don't we get started?
gott wi gyas: SHD>>tyrievalis_x01.
……
valwa yor: SHD>>tyrievalis_x01.
…!
Hey! I almost lost consciousness! Are you sure you're fixing me right, you defective little Origin!?
I'm sure I'm not making a mistake because I'm deleting your hideous, artificial personality right now.
What the hell did you say!? You're trying to erase me!? If you do that, I'll never forgive you!
I'll copy another personality from the back-up, so don't worry. Goodbye, Mitsubiotchi.

Unfortunately for them, Harvestasha still had some cards to play.



Change Security level9.Defragment harvestasha.
Wh-what!? My body's numb...!
Harvestasha is restructuring her body. She's linking herself to the security system of the Tower...
Exec_change emergencymode.Bind Guardian GD1021,GD3023,GD1954,S
...By any chance...!?
chmod b111000000/n

Harvestasha’s security mode engaged.





Don't give up. It's your turn to do your job!
Level A assault against the Frame Body recognized. Installing security patch with full specs... Eliminating virus...
Alright, are you ready!?
Damn! What choice do we have!?

They engaged Harvestasha.



Boss Battle: Harvestasha Root and Guardians
So, we’re up against Harvestasha and an infinite supply of Guardians this time around. The robots will keep respawning no matter what you do, but once the first two are dead you should only ever have one up. Harvy’s attacks debuff anyone they hit, so you’ll swing back and forth between buffed and debuffed throughout the fight. Her cast ability is quite hard to break, a single character has little chance of doing enough damage in time.



Cacaphony is fortunately not that bad, it just freezes your Burst Percent for a while. Build up to a Purge EX or Ultra Supermoves and smoke her, she doesn’t hit that hard so you’ll eventually bring her down.

Harvestasha disappeared after the battle.

Video Record- “System Restore”

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I completely removed her personality skin. The auto-back-ups are up, so her default personality should be restored.
Then…!
Mission accomplished!?
Hey, she's waking up...
...Ah...I am...
Long time no see, Harvy.
...Ah! Tyria, long time no see! I can't believe we're seeing each other again!
As you said, her personality is completely different.
It looks like it worked.

They explained to Harvestasha what had occurred.



It's not really your fault. ...Well, it's still kinda weird. Are you really THE Harvestasha?
That girl is Harvestasha's original personality, which was created when I was still a little girl.
Anyway, I'm glad she isn't a bitch anymore.
But, why was her original personality replaced?
I don't know... Looking at my log history, the other personality skin was installed about 700 years ago.
That long ago? But who did it?
According to the record, it was done by a man called Ayatane.
Him...?
The profile of the other personality is labeled, "Hates humans' guts. Always has an urge to annihilate humanity."
"Her frustration comes from the fact that humans still exist. She derives joy from turning humans into vegetables."
"Her goal is the extinction of humanity and the establishment of a Reyvateilic Empire."
"And yet, plans to let a few humans survive as slaves and drive them like cattle."
That's terrible!
That sounds like something Ayatane would write.
...Psychopath.

Harvestasha had a more important thing to bring up than how much of a monster Ayatane Kureha was.



I can't recognize any Riversia Protocol installed into me.
What's a River Side Prostitu...Call something something?
Riversia Protocol. It's the Song that had been played in the Tower.
Oh, that Song.
I found it the other day. Well, Aoto found it hidden in my mind somewhere.
Wow! Congratulations!
I'm going to sing it now. That way, Riversia Protocol will be downloaded into you.
I'll confirm your corporal linkages and reboot you. We'll see you again in the physical world.
Sure! I'm looking forward to that. Tyria, everyone, thank you!

Aoto was still a bit thrown by how much nicer Harvestasha was now.



Don’t you think Harvestasha’s personality change was a little much?
Of course. She was not like that scumbag bitch.
To put it simply, think of that stupid hussy as one of her personae.
Oh, that’s lucid.
So, the current Harvestasha is…
Her name is too long. Can we just call her Harvy?
Sure. So, the Harvy now is who she really is, and that bitch was another persona?
Not quite, but sort of.
But Harvy now is a little too nice. It’s so weird.
If you replace her personality skin, you can customize her personality.
Oh, you mean using the same method that Ayatane used?
Right. If you like that bitchy Harvy, then, for example…
You might want to make a Harvy that likes and obeys humans, but still has a dirty mouth.
…That sounds pretty troublesome. She can stay the way she is now.

I wish I’d known more about what was going on before this all started, I could have given those two a skin of my personality to install on these things. Oh well, missed opportunities. They ended up diverting off to something else for a short while before they actually rebooted Harvestasha, I’ll tell you about it next time.