The chamber had grown warmer, not from a crackling fire or a shift in the stale air, but from the simple gathering of weary men and women sharing food, laughter, and stories.

The once-ominous stone walls felt less hostile as their voices filled the silence.

Torches hissed softly, their flames dancing against the shadows like flickering memories.

In the center of it all was Ethan, mid-rant and mid-joke, waving half a biscuit in his hand as if it were a dramatic prop.

"Honestly," he exclaimed with mock seriousness, "these archaeologists don't know how lucky they are!"

He gestured dramatically toward Adrian, Mireille, Josef, and the others scribbling notes with feverish intensity.

"They sit there munching their bread while I'm over here watching for death swinging from the ceiling! If they make it out alive, they'd better treat me to dinner!"

Lyra smirked as she adjusted her braid and brushed dirt off her shoulder. "You'd still complain about the food."

"That's not the point!" Ethan shot back playfully, slapping his thigh. "I'm a soldier,not some goat! Give me meat instead of these rocks disguised as bread!"

Marek let out a low grunt. "Then stop eating it."

Ethan defiantly bit into his hard ration and winced as his jaw protested against its toughness.

"Easy for you to say! Some of us can't survive on silence and glares."

Even Gunner's stern lips twitched at that remark before he quickly masked it by adjusting his rifle.

Laughter erupted around them,a rare sound born from exhaustion and relief; an echo of their fragile comfort in being alive.

Stone had been quiet until then. He reached into his pack and pulled out a flask,sturdy metal worn smooth by years of use.

With practiced ease, he unscrewed the top and tilted his head back for a drink.

A single droplet fell.

It landed squarely on his nose,red as blood.

Stone blinked in surprise.

Ethan couldn't help himself; he snorted loudly.

"Oh no! The mighty Stone reduced to shedding a single tear of wine! Should I fetch you a straw, old man?"

Holt clapped Stone on the shoulder with an amused grin.

"Take it easy! You'll start dreaming of rivers if you drain every flask you own."

Stone lowered the container slowly, narrowing his eyes in disdain.

His deep voice rumbled like distant thunder: "You fools know nothing."

The group perked up; they knew this was one of Stone's rare moments of wisdom.

"This," Stone declared with a weighty seriousness, tapping the flask with a thick finger, "is no ordinary drink. This is the Crimson Veil,a rare red wine from the orchards of Arvess, crafted in mountain valleys where the soil drinks the blood of iron".

He paused for a moment looking at them and continued,"It calms nerves, steadies hands, and sharpens minds. Every soldier worth his scars should experience it at least once."

Ethan leaned forward dramatically, cupping his ear. "Sharpens the mind? Stone, if it's that good, you should drink a barrel! Maybe then you'll finally beat me at cards."

Laughter erupted around them,Lyra chuckled softly while Holt shook his head in amusement.

Even Rask let slip a rare grin.

Stone scowled but held his flask high with pride.

Just then a sudden whoosh sliced through the air behind him,sharp and fast.

Instinct honed by years of combat kicked in as Stone sprang into action, fingers closing around something mid-flight.

He froze. Slowly lifting his hand into view revealed…a flask.

Pure black and gleaming like obsidian, its flawless surface caught the light just right. With an intricate engraving of a silver world head on it.

The room fell silent.

Stone's eyes widened as he turned to meet Arthur's gaze across the chamber.

Arthur sat against the far wall, map sprawled across his knees but focused entirely on Stone.

He had thrown it; he wanted Stone to have it.

"Boss…" Stone began hesitantly.

Arthur cut him off with a small smile,deliberate and almost out of place on his face. "There's wine in it. Drink."

The commanders exchanged glances,brows raised in surprise.

Arthur's words carried no weight of command; they were imbued instead with quiet confidence that was enough to command attention.

Stone swallowed hard and nodded once before twisting the cap carefully off.

As soon as it cracked open, an intoxicating wave of aroma swept through the chamber.

Rich,potent,sweet yet sharp,like aged fruit entwined with smoldering spice,it curled into their lungs and wrapped around their senses before ever touching their tongues.

Stone's nostrils flared; his breath quickened as color rushed to his cheeks,his eyes glazed over with awe and longing even without tasting a drop yet!

Ethan gaped in disbelief. "What the hell? He's already drunk!"

Lyra gasped softly while Holt blinked rapidly in shock, Rask muttered something under his breath, clearly taken aback too.

Even Gunner lifted his head slightly, nostrils twitching at the alluring aroma wafting through the air.

The atmosphere felt heavier now, sweetened and thickened by temptation itself.

Stone clutched that black flask like a sacred relic; trembling slightly as he whispered,

"Boss…is this…the Bloody Tyrant?"

Arthur's eyes sparkled with a flicker of satisfaction, excitement momentarily breaking through his calm facade.

He nodded slowly, and the faintest hint of a smile graced his lips.

Ethan gasped dramatically, pointing like he'd just witnessed a miracle.

"Oh my goodness! Did you all see that? The boss actually smiled!"

Mireille, striding by with notes in hand, rolled her eyes. "Please, don't act like you've spotted a unicorn."

Yet the grin remained on Arthur's face, and for once, it wasn't just Ethan's over-the-top antics at play.

Holt cleared his throat, shifting his gaze to the mysterious flask resting on the table. "By the way… what exactly is this Bloody Tyrant?"

Stone turned to them, his eyes gleaming with fervor as he cradled the black flask like it was a long-lost love.

"It is wine," he said in a hushed tone filled with reverence. "But not just any wine,the Bloody Tyrant is one of a kind."

The others leaned in closer as Stone continued his tale.

"It was first crafted in 1946,a recipe and method unlike anything before it. Fermented with herbs and fruits thought to be extinct and aged in barrels carved from agarwood much older. Its strength is legendary and so potent that it's been banned in over twenty countries out of fear for their people."

Lyra raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Banned wine? That sounds absurd."

Stone's lips curled into a rare smile. "Absurd? No..wise! Because the Bloody Tyrant is more than just a drink; it's fire cloaked in velvet. A single bottle costs more than some mansion! It's said one bottle could sustain an ordinary family for five generations!"

The commanders exchanged incredulous glances.

Ethan broke the silence first, waving his arms animatedly. "Five generations? From one bottle? That's ridiculous!"

Holt nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that sounds more like a tall tale."

Stone's jaw tightened as if ready to retort when Arthur's voice cut through smoothly.

"It's not a story," he stated firmly.

The room fell silent; all eyes were now fixed on Arthur.

He leaned forward slightly, map forgotten as his voice resonated with calm authority.

"The reason the Bloody Tyrant is so priceless isn't just its rarity but also its ingredients,exotic materials gathered at unimaginable costs: fruits that rarely bloom, herbs found only atop storm-battered mountains, and barrels made from special purple and red agarwood buried deep underground for three years to ferment."

The archaeologists had drifted closer now, captivated by Arthur's words,even Adrian and the others stood nearby, curiosity etched across their weary faces.

Arthur's gaze swept across the group, a mix of intrigue and authority as he continued. "There are fewer than two hundred bottles of this elixir left in the world. Even if you had the gold to spare, you couldn't buy it. This isn't something that goes on sale; it's traded only in shadows, given to those with true power, or seized by those daring enough to bleed for it."

Stone's hands trembled slightly as he cradled the flask. "A treasure," he whispered, awe coloring his tone.

Arthur nodded solemnly. "Indeed,a treasure that burns the throat and sharpens the mind. Tread carefully with it."

Silence enveloped them for a moment, thick with anticipation.

Then Ethan couldn't hold back any longer; he raised his hand like an eager student in class.

"So… what you're saying is… we've got the wine of kings, the nectar of gods, right there in Stone's hands? And he's keeping it all to himself?"

Laughter erupted around him,Holt chuckled heartily, Lyra smirked knowingly, and even Gunner let out a short grunt that might have been a laugh.

Stone shot back with a growl. "You don't share something like this!"

"Of course not," Ethan replied with a cheeky grin. "Because if you did share it, you'd realize you've been exaggerating,it probably tastes like vinegar!"

"Blasphemy!" Stone exclaimed dramatically, clutching the flask as if it were a sacred relic.

Arthur allowed their laughter to wash over him before leaning against the wall and closing his eyes briefly.

A faint smile lingered on his lips; his words had ignited a rare spark of camaraderie among these weary souls.

For that fleeting moment, they weren't just explorers trapped in peril,they were people sharing stories over drinks: one real and one legendary,in the belly of an ancient tomb.

And beneath all the humor and laughter hung the rich aroma of Bloody Tyrant wine, a heady reminder that even in darkness, some treasures surpass mere gold.

The flask remained firmly in Stone's grip as their voices echoed through the chamber.

As night wore on, their conversations flowed from tales of wine to epic battles fought long ago,from rare vintages to dreams deemed impossible.

Stone spoke reverently about its history while Arthur shared measured details; others chimed in with awe or skepticism interspersed with jokes that kept exhaustion at bay.

The torchlight flickered low as they gathered around,the door across the chamber loomed patiently silent but ever-present.

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