When Rain Rises

Chapter 4

Rain was at a loss. He was still sitting outside the closed restaurant. The sun was falling and he was quickly running out of time to buy groceries for his family. He had spent several hours feeling conflicted over his decision to give Peter his ticket. On one hand, he felt angry with himself that he'd sacrificed himself to a life of conscription; on the other, he was glad his best friend now wouldn't surely be killed. Given the same fate, at least Rain had a chance of survival.

But there were still so many questions left unanswered. If he died as a conscript, what would become of his family? Who would take care of them? Would his meagre earnings as fodder in Apollo's war machine even support them enough? What was he going to say to them when he got back from the market?  The last question Rain pondered was the one that resonated most strongly in his mind. He grimaced as his stomach twisted into a knot at the thought of telling them of the bad news.

There was a reason becoming a conscript was essentially a death sentence, and it was the same reason Apollo was protected by concrete walls. The outside world was as chaotic as it was dangerous. With civilization collapsing during the Brink a century ago, Apollo was one of few places someone could live with even a remote chance of safety. The outside world was filled with marauding clans, wild men, and man-eating predators.

Conscripts were poorly armed and even more poorly trained. Small groups of them could even be direct targets to be attacked for their supplies. There wasn't even any honor in being a conscript, as generally their only objective was the assault or defense of the bridge that served as a trade route to the city of Ashington. They would be thrown against the equally terrible conscripts of Antigo until either side was decimated.

Conscription was thus a fantastic pathway to an early,  horrible death.

Rain clenched his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. He shouldn't think about any of that right now. It was unhealthy.

He finally arose from the bench and turned to the market. It wasn't nearly as bustling as it had been earlier, but there were still quite a few people roaming around. He walked through the stalls in search of produce. He didn't have the stomach for sweets right now. Aunt Leith was expecting him to return with cinnamon rolls, but then again, she was also expecting him to return with good news.

After a few minutes of walking around, Rain approached his first stall. He greeted a large, bristled man wearing trousers. He had several crates of vegetables surrounding the stall, and  carrots, cabbages, and cucumbers were presented on the counter he was standing behind.

"Ah, a late-day customer!" The man exclaimed in a jolly tone, giving Rain a big smile. "What can I do for such a young man?"

"Hey," Rain replied, trying his best to return the same happiness. He failed. He looked at the pricing menu on the wall behind the seller. Each vegetable was about 1 apollean. "Can I get three carrots and 1 cabbage?"

The man frowned, looking him over.  "Bad day, huh? Let me guess, you didn't make it into the Merchant Faction, did you? Saw a lot of teary younglings leaving that compound earlier."

"Something like that," Rain admitted. He didn't mind the man's compassion, but he really, really didn't want to get into his problems with a stranger.

"Tell you what, son. For 4 apollean I'll get you double the carrots."

"What?" Rain asked in shock, giving him a quizzical look. Was he up to something?

"Least I can do." He offered Rain a soft smile. "Plus, carrots aren't selling all that great this week anyway."

 Maybe this city has hope after all, Rain thought as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his folded leather wallet. He had come here with 10 apollean; all the money he had to his name.