An hour later Markham and Scratch entered the barracks carrying small bundles. Fort Ganrick's barracks was a crowded place, more so than the typical barracks. The building currently housed half again the number of soldier's that it had been built to accommodate and thin wooden beds were crowded together with no more than a foot or two in between. At the foot of each bed was a cavewood box that the bed's occupant used to store his worldly possessions, and crammed into some of the precious space between each bed was a rack for the soldier's weapons and armor.
Markham and Scratch made their way towards several beds at the back corner of the barracks. Anyone accustomed to life in a barracks would have recognized immediately that the occupants of the beds were not in the favor of the rest of the soldiers by the simple fact that the space between them and the surrounding beds was a good foot and a half, while the average space between the rest of the barrack's bed's was no more than a foot. At this hour many of the fort's soldiers were gathered together in small pockets laughing or gambling. In a few places men caught up on sleep, snoring contentedly despite the noise around them.
The ranger and the big Slith dropped their bundles onto their respective beds. Pulling packs made of treated lizard hide from under their racks they began loading them with the supplies they'd brought from the storerooms. Strips of dried meat, small bundles of dried fruit, small loaves of hard mushroom meal bread that would last awhile before going bad. The vast majority of Avernite cuisine was not particularly appetizing, but it sustained life. Much of it had been created magically by exiled wizards at the nation's founding in order to make life in the caves possible, along with the glowing fungus that provided light in Avernum's tunnels and the warped cave trees that provided building materials and fuel for fires.
They had run into Dannica in the storeroom. The priestess and the two friends had pointedly ignored each other until Markham saw her reaching for some raw meat and uncooked meal.
"Don't take anything we'll have to cook. We're gonna be in the cat's hunting grounds and unless you want to be fighting the bastards all the way to the mines we're not going to be building any fires."
Dannica had looked at him coldly and without saying a word, but she'd replaced the food in favor of hard rations.
As they sat in the barracks loading their packs Seth dropped wearily onto the bed next to Scratch's, his shield and spear drooping to the floor.
"Brent and his bunch give you any trouble?" Markham asked, giving the Slith a sympathetic look.
Seth shook his head. "I wass on an open sssection of wall over the gate. They couldn't get near me without everyone in the fort sseeing. Though I doubt anyone would have sstopped them," he added bitterly.
"They don't all hate usss," Scratch tried to console the other Slith. "Many are children of the old war. With time they will accept usss."
"They will always hate usss," Seth broke in angrily, "We will never be forgiven for the sssinss of our cousssinss. Never more than sssecond classs. Unwanted and blamed for every trouble." Seth stopped, visibly trying to calm himself.
"I am ssorry friend Markham," he said glancing at the ranger. "I know you don't hate usss. But thossse like you and your father are few and far in between. Mosst of Avernum will never be able sssee past our sscales."
A pained look passed across Markham's features at the mention of his father but he banished it before looking back at Seth.
"I'm sorry about all this Seth. Maybe your right. Maybe some of us will always hate Slith's. I think Scratch is right though. Give them time and most of them will come around."
Seth looked at him, his reptilian eyes giving none of his thoughts away, even to the ranger who had spent much of his life around the Slitherkai. "Perhapss," was all he said before glancing at the man's pack. "The Captain, sshe isss ssending you two out?"
"Yeah," Markham replied, turning his attention back to the pack. "We're heading into the Nephilim tunnels. It's a long story but I don't think you and most of the garrison's going to be far behind."
"Ssso you are sscouting the tunnels for an attack," Seth nodded thoughtfully. "Everyone wasss wondering why they were sssending so many sssoldiers here." A thought occurred to him and he glanced at Scratch.
"The priesstesss… iss sshe going with you?"
Scratch nodded.
"Be wary of her both of you," Seth warned, hissing softly. "She sseems particularly bitter toward the ssslitherkai. Ssshe may be trouble."
"Probably," Markham grunted sourly, "A healer might be useful out there though. If she's more trouble than she's worth we can always just tie her up and leave her.
Scratch glanced at him, flicking his tongue out teasingly. "Careful with that talk Markham. Ssshe might kick you in the face again."
The ranger shot his friend a dirty look.
"She's good," he admitted grudgingly. "We'll see how well she does wandering around in the tunnels though." Markham looked back at Seth and changed subject.
"How long do you have?"
Seth sighed, the husky noise sounding strange from a reptilian throat.
"My regular watch isss in three hourss."
"You gonna catch some sleep before then?"
Seth shook his head. "No, I'll jussst be more tired than if I sstay awake."
Markham nodded. "More 'n likely. Soon as we're finished packing we'll be grabbing a bite if you'd like to join us." Scratch nodded in agreement.
The other Slith nodded slowly. "Yesss. I think I will. My lassst meal with friendsss for a few dayss."
Scratch patted his friend on the shoulder and returned to his preparations.
Once the food was packed away they rolled up their bedrolls and strapped them to the top of the packs after adding odds and ends like a coil of rope or stones to sharpen their weapons.
When they were finished Markham stood and stretched. "Well let's get our last real food for awhile."
The Sliths both nodded and stood. Scratch gave the ranger a mocking look before saying, "You're getting sssoft pink thing. Two yearsss ago you'd have thought nothing of living on road fare for weeksss."
Markham made a face as he stood to follow his two friends toward the barracks door.
"That was before I let you hoodangle me into the army and get all fat and happy on fine cuisine."