Chapter 90: 90. The Narrows

The eastern narrows of the Ashplain matched their name. The wide savanna narrowed between low mountains to the north and a dry river cliff to the south. The passage was about four kilometers wide and forced all eastward travel through a single corridor. Anyone trained in battlefield tactics would recognize it as an ideal ambush point.

They arrived at midday.

“Stop…” Owen said, stopping the group two hundred meters from the entrance.

He expanded his Mana Sense through the corridor in controlled sweeps. The narrows stretched roughly three kilometers. He detected rocks, animals, and the natural energy of the land.

He also detected fourteen beastfolk positioned along the northern ridge, spaced evenly about thirty meters apart. Most were high B-rank. Several were high A-rank. Stronger than the earlier ambush.

At the far exit of the narrows stood eight more warriors in a visible ground formation. They made no effort to hide. That meant the fourteen on the ridge were the primary strike force, and the eight below were meant to trap anyone who entered.

“Twenty-two…” Owen said. “Fourteen on the northern ridge. Eight blocking the far exit.”

Alfred studied the terrain. “If we enter, the ridge group will attack us from above while the exit group will prevent any retreat. Classic kill zone.”

“Vorak has improved his approach,” Leah said calmly. “He sent stronger warriors.”

“hmm” Owen confirmed.

“what are our Options?” Yuki asked, looking to owen.

“We could go around,” Odessa suggested.

“The northern ridge adds two more days to the journey,” Leah said. “The southern escarpment adds at least one and has unstable footing. We do not have extra days, Odessa.”

They had eleven days remaining before the expected manifestation. Delay was not acceptable.

“Then we should go through,” Yuki said, gripping her katana.

“Alright then…” Owen agreed. “But… not the way they expect.”

He looked at the ridge, then at Odessa.

“How high can your Azure Sky Dragon maintain flight with a rider?”

“Eight hundred meters without strain,” Odessa said. “But its accuracy from that height in the crosswind is limited.”

“I only need them distracted.”

He turned to Alfred. “Can you hold the eight at the exit while I engage from above?”

“For three minutes,” Alfred said. “Possibly four.”

“Leah,” Owen said, “how do Ironmane warriors handle aerial threats?”

“They are trained for ground combat and elevation advantage,” she replied. “An attack directly from above is outside their standard doctrine.”

“Good,” Owen said. “Then let’s exceed their expectations.”

While they finalized positions, Owen closed his eyes and drew his mana inward. Not to rest but to sharpen his senses. He let his awareness settle into the slow, cycling breath he used before a serious engagement, circulating energy from his core outward through his limbs, wings, and tail.

The process took less than two minutes. By the end, his body felt lighter, responses tighter. A combat purge.

From the ridge, the scene appeared simple: four travelers and a dragon entering the narrows at walking pace.

Forty seconds later, Owen fell from the sky.

He had climbed to six hundred meters on Odessa’s dragonkin—he did this instead of flying by himself to fool the ironmane warriors into thinking he was still with the grounded group—, then released his grip. He fell for nine seconds, spreading his wings near the end to redirect rather than stop. He adjusted his descent toward the ridge face instead of landing directly on top of the warriors.

He struck the rock at high speed, his claws gripping the stone, and converted the downward force into forward motion. He ran along the ridge wall before the warriors fully reacted.

The first attack came instinctively. Owen deflected the blade with his tail and continued moving. He collided with the second warrior and drove him backward without stopping. Momentum was critical. If he slowed, they would regroup.

A third warrior attempted a tackle. Owen used the attempt to pivot and sent the warrior over the ridge edge. The fall was survivable but removed him from the fight.

A fourth targeted Owen’s legs. Owen jumped, gained a brief lift with his wings, and landed behind him, pinning him long enough to force a disengagement.

The A-rank warriors repositioned. Owen felt them before he saw the shift, their aura signatures thickened, pressure rolling off them in measured waves meant to slow and disorient. Standard A-rank suppression technique. Effective against warriors below a certain threshold.

Owen let it hit him.

He did not resist the pressure immediately.

He absorbed it, let it move through his outer mana layer, and used it the way a current is used, not fought, but redirected. The suppression rebounded slightly inward toward the warriors who generated it. Not enough to harm them but enough to break their concentration for a half-second.

And that was all he needed.

He closed the distance before the nearest A-rank could reset his footing. Two strikes, both palm-based and aimed at structural disruption rather than damage.

The warrior’s stance collapsed.

Owen moved past him before he hit the ground.

The second A-rank was more careful. He kept his distance and used a longer weapon, a lance, angled to force Owen wide. Owen tracked the weapon’s arc, waited, and stepped inside it at the next extension.

Close quarters cancelled the reach advantage. He controlled the warrior’s weapon arm, applied pressure to the joint, and held until the warrior made his choice.

The warrior released the weapon and stepped back. A sound decision.

Below, the exit formation reacted to the noise above. Their attention split between the ridge and the narrows entrance.

Yuki attacked immediately. She moved through the formation, exploiting gaps created by the divided focus. Her strikes were controlled and precise, aimed to disable rather than kill. That unpredictability made her difficult to counter.

Veridra’s katana was drawn twice. Each use removed one warrior from active combat through fast-acting poison.

Alfred absorbed pressure at the center.

When two warriors tried to push him back, he countered with his shield strike that knocked them off balance and into each other.

Leah targeted the right-side anchor of the formation. She overwhelmed him quickly. With the anchor removed, the formation destabilized.

On the ridge, Owen had neutralized nine warriors. The remaining five withdrew toward better defensive terrain. He allowed the retreat. Their withdrawal indicated reassessment. The engagement was no longer favorable for them.

Then he looked down.

Seven of the eight exit warriors were down or retreating. The last stood with his weapon lowered, choosing not to continue.

Four minutes and eleven seconds had passed.

Another unsuccessful attempt from Marak to stop them.

Owen descended into the narrows and landed among the scattered warriors.

“Is there a third group?” he called out.

There was no response.

“Then the narrows are clear. Anyone who wants to leave may leave. Anyone who continues will face a different outcome.” He said as his Golden Eyes gazed upon them intently.

The remaining warriors chose to withdraw.

The group regrouped and checked for injuries. None were serious. Yuki had a minor cut. Leah had a shallow wound on her shoulder.

Owen did not move immediately. He stood where he had landed, his eyes half-closed, and spent sixty seconds cycling through a passive absorption sequence.

The fight had stirred residual mana from the landscape, ambient energy displaced by high-rank combat, now drifting without direction. With his latent skill of mana absorption, He pulled it inward slowly, filtering out the foreign aura signatures, and folded what remained into his own reserves.

The gain was small. But this practice was not about gain. He had now chosen to use his full range of skills, he hadn’t noticed how complacent he had been when it came to them, he had focused on the external skills he gains, his Sovereignties and spamming dragon breath that He had not Realised he had been Completely ignorant to the other dragonic skills until after his encounter with Dominus.

Now, he was going to fully explore all skills

Consistency built more than intensity. He had learned that later than he should have.

They passed through the narrows without further resistance.

At the eastern end, near Ironmane territory, Leah paused and looked back.

“Vorak will not be pleased,” she said with a smile and then continued forward.

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