Descending the stairs was another test for my sanity. For the first thirty minutes, based on how many song I hummed, I was almost happy to discover I also remembered the lyrics of my favourite songs, and maybe I wasn't so tone-deaf like before. The judgment on the last thing I leave open after third party is involved.

But after the initial rush I started to fall in my old pattern of worry and doubts. First of all for how much more I had to go down before exiting this structure, sure I confirmed I was still able to make small quantity of water, but it will not be a joke if the descent was days long.

When I had seen this building before from high above, when I was literally falling from the sky, it seemed pretty tall but not like a skyscraper. I found myself worrying that maybe perspective deceived my mind.

Apart from the confirmation my memory was really world apart from before, I was accidentally able to see the effect of the "mana coating". When I was feeling thirsty, after five songs, I had created a ball of water and while trying to drink from it I managed to splash it all over my face and chest.

It was almost fun, in a way, only that then I remembered the risk of rust for my iron breastplate and hurried to wipe it. Having only a simple tee-shirt and trousers under all the armour I didn't know what to do. Remembering that the mana coating in the description was a replacement for the dlc treatment, I tried to concentrate my mana on the breastplate. 

The final result, after some trial, was that this new coating allowed to pour mana in the object. When that happened the mana became a visible light blue film that encased the object. And seeing the hydrophobic effect it had on the splash of water I believe this mana coating protected the item just like the diamond like carbon.

Pouring mana in the shield, knife and spear gave the same result. Sure it consumed mp, checking the status revealed it needed 5 points for item, but if made items long lasting and easier to maintain it was worth it.

Brooding on all of this information I almost missed the small change in the updraft wind, maybe a chimney effect, that accompanied my descent from the beginning. When at first the air had no smell now I started to smell earth, wood and vegetation.

I think I was never so happy to smell open air like I'm now. I started to go down the stair more quickly, and when I started to hear the sound running water even more so.

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When finally the stairs ended I found myself in front of a small and long, almost claustrophobic, passage. But nothing mattered more to me than the light I could see at the end of it.

Being careless when I'm to focused, or happy, or in a rush, was always the way trouble found me. And sure as @#%& even this time they didn't wait to show up.

When a loud crashing sound arrived to my ears I was already sprawled on the floor. A heavy arrow, more like a crossbow bolt, lied un top of the breastplate. It was hard to see, having lost it's mana hue, but it felt like the metal around the center was dented.

Starting to think straight again, I hoped I didn't have a concussion, I started to crouch and put the shield in front of me. Just like I finished a second bolt found my new lifted shield dead center again. The shield also lost it's coating and when a was about to pour mana into it I stopped...

Watching my back I could see only faint light, compared the light coming from end of the tunnel was dazzling.

- @#%&, the blue shine of the mana coating gave away my position, didn't it? And being in a clear line sure didn't help...

While mumbling to myself, I started to concentrate to see if I could locate the attacker. In the meantime I was starting to lose my patience, a voice boomed in the small corridor.

- CHI VA LA'?... Penso l'abbiamo preso. Ou! Renditi utile, smetti di tremare e va a vedere cos'era.

The voice sounded deep and bossy but the meaning was impossible to understand to me. Did the "Speech recognition" skill fail? But if I had to guess, just like for the item description, I need to hear more of it before understanding. Still to think my first encounter could've been my last is really  typical of me.

With all the eco in this narrow passage I couldn't use the speech from before to speculate their distance, but now I could hear faint footstep and started counting them. Gripping the knife, my initial fall turned off the mana on it and the spear, thinking that in this close quarter was the better choice, I waited.

Still the footstep's sound was a bit erratic, just like someone who's unsure of what to do. Time felt dilated from my tension, but I think no more than few minutes passed before a shadow lurked into view.