Final Fantasy XV, a flawed game, but an impressive one nonetheless. The designers decided to place a modern Japanese city inside a fantasy world. The contrast between the 21st century city of Insomnia and the fantasy landscape surrounding it was neatly done.
Wallbase, a city that will not look out of place in Japan, lies behind a giant fortified wall. Beyond that lie a fantasy landscape with giant monsters. Am I in a game right now? Did I get isekaied into a Capcom Monster Hunter title inspired by FFXV and Armored Core?
Beside the obvious presence of mecha casually stopping in front of traffic lights like a normal vehicle, Wallbase seems every bit a modern urban center found on Earth. There were skyscrapers littered across the landscape not unlike what I may see downtown. In retrospect, I should have seen the city skyline as we approached, but the audacity of the giant fortified wall stole all of my gaze.
I looked in amazement at the sight before me. People were going about their daily lives, looking at their watches as they crossed their streets. Some passed the time in idleness looking at the giant tv screens displaying ads on the side of tall buildings. In front of me, I can see a train travelling on an elevated train track, busy carrying passengers to their destinations. The only catch being that the tracks are elevated much higher than the ones on Earth as they had to accommodate the height of the various mecha.
Next to us in another lane are normal vehicles, buses and cars. So these exist here in this world too. I closed my eyes and my heart felt calm. The smells and sounds of Wallbase is just like home. The smell of air pollution is exactly the same. The sound of cars honking and drivers swearing right down to the insults about one’s mother is the same here as is back on Earth.
“So Caleb, what do you think of our city?” Amber’s question aroused me from my introspection.
“Honestly, it feels like home.”
“Oh? I would have imagined a different world to feel more foreign. Your reaction is not what I expected.”
“Believe me, Amber, I’m actually quite baffled. I don’t know why but I was expecting to see something more ‘wild’, something less ‘urban’. I’m not sure if you understand what I’m getting at.”
“Wild huh. Don’t let the pretty lights fool you.” Amber warned as if she spoke from experience. “Things in this city are more than it seems.”
“How so?”
“This place started out as a gathering of mercenaries and drifters hoping to cash in on the lucrative monster material market. But that was hundred years ago, if my knowledge of history is correct. The outward appearance may change, but the people haven’t. Let’s just say that the brighter the lights, the darker the shadow.”
If I understood Amber correctly, shady shit happens in town. I honestly am not surprised to hear that one bit. It’s not like crime is a unique phenomenon native to Earth. Humans will be humans and scum will be scum. Underneath the glamour of every city is always an underside populated by organized crime. I can only imagine the shady shit that can possibly go on in this place. Black markets for illegal monster material, illegal contracts up for grabs, maybe add in a dose of illegal Hornbreaker modifications. And let’s not forget the drugs, prostitution, human trafficking and other mundane crimes.
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The image of mercenary doesn’t give off a nice vibe to begin with. Soldiers of fortune who seek profit above all. Whereas most warriors fight for duty towards one’s country, mercenaries don’t have that sense of justice. I’m sure some will take on protection jobs, but assassination probably pays higher. Then again, Amber doesn’t give off this feeling of a hardened killer. Perhaps the term mercenary has a different meaning and connotation in this world.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, but what exactly is a mercenary?”
“I thought that be obvious by now. Mercenaries are monster hunters.”
“Right. Yeah, I guess that’s pretty obvious now that I think about it. And I guess you accept contracts from a government or something like that?”
Amber did ask me if I belonged to a company or if I was some contractor. She must have assumed that I was a mercenary who lost his Hornbreaker and was stranded out in the Frontier.
“I don’t know the exact details of everything, but I myself hunt monsters for material and I sell to the trading company offering the best rates. To be honest, the competition is fierce so the rates are more or less the same no matter where I go.”
“Do these companies also hire their own exclusive mercenaries?”
“Of course. But I can’t remember what came first, mercenaries who got into trading, or trading companies who got into hunting.”
Hey, I remember learning about this in school. Vertical integration was the term. A supply chain runs from extraction of raw materials to distribution of finished products to the end customer. Usually different companies perform different tasks along the supply chain. The beginning of the monster material supply chain starts with mercenaries who sell their loot to companies that in turn sell to manufacturers. Sometimes companies will buy another company up or down the supply chain so they can make more money and control quality.
And the point of that whole tangent? Human greed transcends worlds. Maybe that’s why Wallbase is so big and urban. A company employs a variety of people after all. Not everyone in this city are mercenaries obviously. Someone needs to entertain the hunters, provide food for them, build their houses, and look after their kids.
That’s it! I have solved the mystery of Wallbase. It’s a regular old ass city that happens to be defended by a giant ass wall.
How boring. Since I am isekaied anyways, I would have liked to be in a world of fantasy where there is magic and random medieval megastructures.
…
After a nice drive through the various neighbourhoods, we finally reached our destination. A big apartment building with a multi floor hangar for Hornbreakers. Amber’s own personal hangar is on the second floor.
It looks like a giant mess. There are tools just lying on the floor and tables, tossed around like clothes in a toddler’s room. I’ve seen illegal chop shops look cleaner than this place.
“Here we are Caleb.” Amber seemed proud of this mess called a hangar. “Home sweet home! Well not quite, we still need to head on over to the main building.”
“Umm…are you sure about letting in a total stranger you met for the first time in a desert into your home is a good idea?”
“Pa always told me to help out those in need.” Amber pointed at my piss-soaked pants. “I can’t just ditch a person with no money to afford a dry cleaner.”
In light of recent events and newfound wonders that is Wallbase city, the fact that I pissed myself completely left my mind. My face turned red quickly as I sheepishly followed Amber to her home.
What a nice person Amber is. You really don’t see this level of kindness in a big city. If she hadn’t shown up on time earlier in the day… Anyways, I have to make it up to her somehow.
“Thank you for your kindness. I’ll go look for a place tomorrow and a job while I’m at it.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Amber reassured me. “This is a city of drifters, and money does talk, but you are going to need my help if you want to survive.”
“Come again?”
“Let’s see. We need to get you a bank account, which requires proof of residency. And if you want to rent a place, you need a bank account, which requires a deposit of money. Suppose you want to become a mercenary, a job that doesn’t require formal education, you need to obtain a license to operate as a mercenary in Wallbase, a Hornbreaker license, and a weapons permit, all of which require proof of identity. You can get a Wallbase ID at city services, which is also the same place where you can get your proof of residence.”
“………”
“………”
Are you serious?