“Look, we went through this yesterday,” Eyde fought to keep his voice at a reasonable volume. “My name is Eyde Barethawn, and I have been sent for by the Zoological Research Institute. If you could just fetch someone from there, they could–”

“If your name’s not on the list,” The brawny guard stabbed the paper with his finger. His leather breastplate displayed an emblem in the form of a crenellated stone tower. “Then you’re not allowed up.”

The large metal platforms ran on rails and served to transport people between the stages of Volgorne. A handful of these platforms were scattered throughout the city; each ran between varying numbers of stages, but only two travelled all the way from the Roots to the Rostrum.

The hulking engine which powered this particular lift to Volgorne’s third level, the Quick, growled as people were shuffled onto the platform. A caged door was then rattled across, penning in the passengers before their ascent.

“Did you bring that letter of introduction you said you had?” The guard asked.

Eyde deflated, “I told you, I misplaced it.”

Thinking back to the incident yesterday and the loss of his satchel, he ran his fingers along his neck as he relived the horrible experience. The phantom pain of the knife still lingered on his skin despite the lack of a wound, and it hurt to swallow.

After Mina and the others had left, he’d wandered back to his accommodation almost in a daze, paying little attention to what was happening around him. Once he’d awoken this morning, Eyde had run to the platform in a panic, too scared to miss his opportunity to consider his lost possessions.

“And I told you, prove it or get lost,” the smirk on the guard's face chipped away and Eyde’s restraint. “You’re holding up the line.”

He cleared his throat, “The Daewanese melting toad is a fascinating creature, and one whose existence was once doubted, given the animal’s ability to disappear in water due to the unusual refractive properties of its skin. Indeed, it appears that–”

“What are you doing?” The guard cut over Eyde’s speech, his face one of concerned bemusement.

“You asked me to prove it,” Eyde stated.

The guard sighed, “No letter, no lift.”

The broken door remained where it had been scattered the day before. Eyde stopped with his hands on his knees. He had all but run through the Roots to get here, drawing confused looks from many a passer-by. Yesterday's events had taken a toll on his aching body, and his vision swam for a brief moment before he was able to compose himself.

The satchel had been discarded a few paces from where the door had landed. Eyde groaned at seeing it lying within a puddle of what he presumed was water. It can’t even rain in here! he thought in frustration. Lifting the satchel from the ground, it fell open, causing pages of the damaged books inside to fall to the floor. Eyde stared for a few short moments before dropping the satchel entirely.

He walked to the now doorless building and peered inside. The interior was unremarkable. What little light entered from outside revealed bare walls and a stone floor with simple furniture pushed to the edges of the room by, Eyde assumed, the force which had liberated the door. There was something else. For what he had assumed to be an explosion, there was no sign of fire damage in the room or on any of the furniture.

Finding nothing more of interest, Eyde turned from the room and sighed. He wasn’t sure what he’d do while he waited for word of the Institute’s acceptance to reach him, maybe head to the Vicolla and drink the day away? It was as good a plan as any.

A scratching, chittering noise drew Eyde’s attention as he walked from the square. He knew that sound. A lantrit. Of course, where there was one lantrit, you would be sure to find more. Eyde stalked towards the mouth of the alley from which the sound was coming, pressing his body against the cool stone of one of the buildings on either side. Then, taking care to make as little sound as possible, he peeked around the corner.

The lantrit stood atop a pile of refuse with its furry, striped back to Eyde. It shuffled through the pile with quick, determined movements, no doubt looking for scraps of food and trinkets to take back to its nest. Eyde watched for a few moments, careful not to startle the little creature and wary of its yet-unseen companions.

Fishing in his pockets, Eyde found his notebook, pencil, and the remains of the bread roll he had stuffed into his mouth and pockets this morning upon leaving his accommodation. Well, I could still get some useful information, he thought to himself.

Eyde stepped into the alleyway, careful not to disturb the small creature. Crouching down on his haunches, he held out the piece of bread in the lantrit’s direction and waited.

After a few moments, the creature looked up, sniffing the air. It turned and flinched upon noticing Eyde. However, Eyde’s calmness and patience paid off as the creature’s caution was overridden by its greed. The lantrit’s pace was slow as it approached him, every few steps it stuck its nose into the air, perhaps checking that the journey would not be for nought.

Eyde smiled as the creature came to his outstretched hand. It reached one of its paws forwards, unsure at first, then it struck out to snatch away a piece of the bread. It sat, pushing its prize into its tiny mouth filled with needle-like teeth.

The creature was holding its other forelimb to its furry, striped chest. Eyde looked concerned. “Have you hurt yourself, my friend?” He kept his voice low, so as not to startle the animal away.

The lantrit looked up , its jaw still working at a crust. It seemed to have relaxed upon being fed and let its other arm drop to its side.

It was then Eyde saw it, the sparkling red gemstone that the creature held in its paw. Eyde gasped in surprise. How had this creature found Kellin’s gem?

Several things happened at once. A sudden sound came from behind, making Eyde jump. Kellin’s raspy voice called “Spread out and find it.” the shout echoing off the walls. The lantrit gave a high pitched shriek as it was also startled. Eyde fell backwards in shock as the lantrit emitted beams of light from its eyes, illuminating the surfaces of the alley as it glanced around in panic. The creature fled behind the pile of refuse in which it had been digging. A hand slammed down onto Eyde’s shoulder from behind.

He was dragged to his feet with little care. A rough, scarred face pressed itself close to his. “What are you doin’ here?” a gravelly voice enquired.

Eyde’s heart thumped even harder, “Me? I’m… I’m just a researcher inspecting the local wildlife.” he babbled, gesturing backwards to the alley with his head, holding up his notebook.

The man holding him glanced into the alley and frowned, “What? Like a stray pet or somethin’?.” He drawled.

“Actually, —”

“Oi, Kent,” Eyde’s heart sank as Kellin approached. Today’s Kellin had lost the affable old-man charm which had taken Eyde in. Instead, he walked toward them with purposeful strides and a face like a storm cloud.

“What’s that you’ve got there? Oh, well if it isn’t Eyde. Very surprised to see you here, my boy. Especially after…” Kellin drew his thumb across his neck and pulled a grotesque face, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He laughed, the subject of Eyde’s near-death experience amusing him. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen my gem, would you?” Behind him, a second man kept looking through the rubble and detritus in the street.

Struggling against the fist that continued to hold him by the collar, Eyde replied, “Not since you fished it out of that pile of trash. I’m here for my bag.”

Kellin turned in the direction Eyde indicated. Upon seeing the waterlogged satchel he began to laugh once more. “I see. Well, it’s not really been your week, has it?”

“What was he doing in the alley, boss?” Kent gripped harder on Eyde’s collar.

Kellin looked impressed, “A fine point there, Kent. Well, Eyde? If your bag’s over yonder,” Kellin gestured with a flamboyant wave of his arm, “What were you doing in there?”

Eyde hesitated, he’d never been good at lying and his nerve had been used up on the previous half-truth. “I saw a lantrit and wanted to observe it. It’s sort of my job.” He could feel the beginnings of sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool atmosphere afforded by being so far out of the sun.

Kellin stared at him for a few long seconds, “A lantrit? One of those mangey things that’s always digging through rotten trash? What sort of a job’s that?”

“Well, it’s not just lantrits—,” Eyde began.

“I don’t have time for this,” Kellin sighed and drew the knife at his side. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to tie up loose ends, but I really must be getting on.”

“He took it!” Eyde squeaked as the oily light of the lamps glinted on the edge of the blade.

The knife stopped its journey towards him. Kellin frowned, “Who did?”

“The lantrit,” Eyde’s breath came in shallow gasps. “The one in the alley. I saw him take it before you grabbed me.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Kellin growled.

“It’s true. I ran into the alley when you arrived. It turned and…” Eyde hesitated. He was sure this next detail would make his story even more unbelievable. “...and its eyes gave off a bright light. It lit up what it was holding. The gem. If it’s gone, it’ll be heading back to its nest. But that will be close, I'm sure. Lantrits are lazy animals.”

Kellin’s eyes burned into Eyde’s, “You’re telling me one of those vermin shot light out of its eyes and ran off with my gem.”

Eyde managed to take several deep breaths and refused to break Kellin’s gaze, “Yes.”

It was obvious from Kellin’s face that the gears of thought were turning as he considered what he’d heard. He sheathed his knife, “Alright. Kent, let him go.”

The big man looked surprised but released Eyde’s collar. Stumbling backwards, Eyde mirrored the look of confusion.

“Take me to them,” Kellin ordered.

“You’re sure, lad?” Kellin looked at the rusty metal grate set into the stone of the wall with obvious scepticism.

“Yes,” Eyde nodded. “In the wild, they’d be burrowing underground. This would provide them with the same security, away from people.”

A search of the area had revealed no obvious lantrit nests. The hatched grate set into the side of one of the larger nearby buildings had been discovered by Kellin’s men. It was tall enough for someone to walk through if it were open, but looked as if it hadn’t been touched in many years. The rust was thick and crumbled away in places; weak, light-starved vegetation had also started to creep its way around the perforated metal. Upon inspection, Eyde had discovered wisps of fur clinging to the rough patches of rust near the bottom of the obstructed doorway.

“If you say so,” Kellin turned to his minions. “Right, get it open.”

Without delay, they set to work trying to wrench the grate free of the stonework. The men were direct in their approach, if not subtle. Two pairs of meaty hands wrapped around the metal of the grate and yanked. At first, nothing was heard but the grunts of effort. Then, a small grinding sound emerged from the stone, building into a tortured, whining noise as the grate began to twist and buckle as the most rust-eaten sections broke away. Before long, the obstacle came away with a sudden crack, bringing with it chunks of stone attached to its roots.

The blackness of the open space yawned out at them. Poking his head over the threshold, Eyde could sense the cramped confines of the space beyond. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he realised that the space was in fact a passage that ended in a stone wall after a short distance, but continued straight downwards into the earth a couple of metres away from where he stood.

Kellin thrust his head into the passageway, accompanied by a newly lit hooded lantern, pushing up against Eyde as he did so. “Well, I’ll be,” he mumbled. “I never knew this was here.”

“It looks like there’s a ladder of sorts,” Eyde squinted in the low light. From his vantage point, he could just make out shallow recesses cut into the stone of the downward tunnel. “Do you think it’s a cellar?”

Kellin gave a short chuckle, “Could be. But there are catacombs and passageways all under this city, lad.” He pushed Eyde towards the hole in the ground. “and you’ll find a lot more than just stripy vermin down there.”