The Legacy of Elyn Vane

The days following their strategic planning were consumed by intense preparation for the upcoming hunt. Albert had provided Elyn with his old basic set of equipment - armour, weapons, and a cloak. Though lacking any notable enchantments, each piece was carefully selected, displaying excellent craftsmanship and durability. The armour incorporated layers of mana-conductive fabric interwoven with metallic plates, each thread specially treated to maintain its properties even under extreme stress. The base layer was specially constructed from a rare fabric known for maintaining perfect flexibility for adding inscriptions.

The cloak proved particularly remarkable, made from the fibres of the plant known as "Eldervine" that even experienced craftsmen spoke of it with reverence. They could only be grown in mana-rich environments, then woven using techniques passed down through generations of master artisans. The resulting fabric possessed natural mana-channelling properties, its very structure creating microscopic pathways that could guide mana efficiently. Though appearing deceptively simple to untrained eyes, the cloak's surface held an intricate pattern of nearly invisible threads that would serve as natural guidelines for inscriptions.

Elyn spent hours studying these pieces, planning to enhance them through runic inscription. The art of runic inscription presented two primary paths, each with its own complexities and trade-offs. The first method, often preferred by beginners, involved inscribing basic runes directly onto the equipment. These runes would draw their power from Elyn's own mana, creating a direct link between his energy and the enchantments. In theory, this approach offered greater control and immediate response to his needs.

However, this method carried a significant drawback. The corrupted mana that permeated their world posed a severe limitation. While Elyn possessed an impressively large innate mana capacity, especially for his young age, he lacked the ability to purify the tainted mana around him. This meant he could only rely on his personal mana reserves, which, though substantial, would quickly deplete when maintaining even basic runic enchantments. If the corrupted mana is directly fed to the runes without purifying, it will make the runes unstable, ultimately resulting in their collapse, which will cause irreparable damage to the equipment. He could also use pure artificially created mana crystals, which were insanely expensive and hard to get. The strain of constantly feeding his power into the runes would leave him vulnerable, particularly during extended encounters with the forest's dangers.

Creating more mana-efficient runes would require advancing to complex patterns and formations, but these were far beyond his current capabilities. His physique, despite its peak condition, simply couldn't withstand such powerful inscriptions. Moreover, his mind space - the mental reservoir required for processing and controlling advanced runic arrays - had not yet developed sufficiently. Also, another important factor was that he was completely focusing on creating a complex seal to destroy the curse of chains which was almost halfway complete. So attempting to force such advanced enchantments would risk not only failure but potentially devastating damage to both his equipment and himself.

The second approach offered a more sustainable solution, though it came with its own challenges. This method involved creating specialized runic arrays designed to interact with the environment itself. These runes would be crafted to draw in the corrupted mana that saturated the air, purify a part of it through filtration patterns, and only then channel it into the enchantments. And he could repair the damaged runes periodically. This would provide a nearly endless supply of power for the equipment's enhancements, freeing Elyn from the burden of constantly supplying his own mana. 

Yet this path proved treacherously difficult. The runic patterns required for mana purification were intricate and hard to construct. Each line had to be carved with absolute precision, the slightest tremor in his hand or miscalculation in the pattern could render the entire array useless or, worse, unstable. Even though he had created small versions of the seals doing the same functions creating an entire circuit was hard, not impossible and he had the idea on how to do it. The failure rate for such inscriptions was very high, often requiring multiple attempts to achieve a successful inscription.

The inscription of his dagger proved to be the most delicate task of all. Its blade forged from moonsilver steel – a rare alloy that possessed a natural affinity for magical enhancement. The metal's distinctive pearlescent sheen caught the lamplight as Elyn carefully prepared the blade's surface, using a specially formulated oil to clean away any trace of impurity that might interfere with the runic inscriptions. The process required absolute precision. Moonsilver steel was known to be particularly responsive to mana, which made it both ideal for enchantment and dangerously volatile if the inscriptions were imperfect.

Working with trembling focus, Elyn began inscribing the primary cutting rune along the blade's spine. He had chosen the ancient rune "Karith" – the rune of severance – but modified its traditional form to incorporate elements of "Vess," the rune of flow. This combination would allow the blade to part flesh and bone with supernatural ease while maintaining perfect control, preventing the enhanced cutting power from becoming unwieldy. The inscription process took nearly six hours, with Elyn frequently pausing to steady his hands and verify his measurements. Even the slightest deviation in the rune's angles could cause the entire enhancement to fail catastrophically. As he worked, the moonsilver steel seemed to respond to his touch, the metal warming slightly beneath his tools as each line of the runic array took shape. The most challenging moment came when he had to bridge the primary rune with a stabilizing array near the hilt – a series of smaller runes designed to regulate the flow of purified mana through the blade. A single drop of sweat could have ruined hours of work, but Elyn's steady concentration prevailed, and the final connecting lines were drawn with perfect precision.

Elyn spent days practicing the basic strokes of these purification runes on scraps of metal, paper and cloth, his small hands growing calloused from gripping the inscription tools. Each failed attempt taught him something new - how the fabric responded to different carving pressures, how the fabric's weave affected the rune's flow, the subtle ways temperature changes could alter the inscription process. 

The process was painstaking and often frustrating. Sometimes, a rune would seem perfect until the final stroke, only to collapse into uselessness. Other times, the patterns would hold, but the purification process would prove too weak to be practical. Each failure meant starting over, carefully cleaning the failed inscriptions from the equipment to prevent any interference with the next attempt.

Yet with each attempt, Elyn's understanding grew. He began to recognize the subtle harmonies between different runic elements, how they could be arranged to support and strengthen each other. The purification patterns, though still challenging, started to feel less like foreign symbols and more like a language he was slowly learning to speak.

As the winter winds howled outside their cabin, Elyn continued his work, knowing that every successful inscription would increase his chances of survival in the dangerous world that awaited him. The hunt would begin soon, and he was determined to face it with every advantage he could create.