Orba Wine

Two weeks passed before the jar stopped bubbling.

I lifted it from its warm corner by the stove, holding it up to the lamplight. The liquid inside had shifted from cloudy pulp to something clearer, pale gold with a faint fizz that clung to the glass. The scent that escaped when I cracked the lid was sharp and sweet, carrying the familiar bite of alcohol beneath the orba's natural tartness.

Karin appeared at my shoulder almost instantly, as if she'd been waiting for this moment since the day I'd sealed the jar. "Is it ready?"

"One way to find out," I said, pouring a small amount into a clean cup.

The first sip was rough but unmistakably alcoholic. The orba's sweetness had transformed into something more complex, tart and warming, with enough kick to make Karin's eyes widen when she tried it.

"This is better than the swill they serve at the guild hall," she said, already reaching for the jar.

Kaguya appeared with her inevitable quill, scribbling notes as she sipped her portion. "Remarkable transformation. The sugar conversion appears complete, alcohol content significant but not overwhelming. Ken, this could revolutionize—"

"It will," I interrupted, a slow smile spreading across my face. "But not in the way they expect."

◇◇◇◇

The next morning, Baron Gregory arrived unannounced, his carriage clattering to a stop outside the clinic. He stepped down flanked by two guards, his face unusually urgent beneath a traveling cloak.

"I need to speak with the Healer," he said. "Privately. Immediately."

Karin and Kaguya exchanged glances but stepped aside. Gregory's guards remained by the door as he followed me into the clinic's back room.

"My contacts in the noble houses have been talking," he said without preamble. "Word has reached certain circles about your orba wine experiment. Count Aldrich is... extremely displeased."

I leaned against the wall. "How displeased?"

Gregory's jaw tightened. "The kind of displeased that starts with investigations and ends with accidents. He considers your brewing a direct attack on his family's distillery monopoly."

"Ah," I said, nodding slowly. "So he wants it stopped."

"He wants you stopped." Gregory stepped closer, his voice dropping. "But there's a legal avenue we can pursue. Patent law. If you can document the process officially and file it with the city, it becomes legitimate innovation rather than unlawful competition."

I raised an eyebrow. "You want me to patent orba wine?"

"I want you to survive the next few weeks. Aldrich can't move against officially recognized innovation without risking his position. The council protects legitimate inventors." Gregory pulled out a leather folder. "I've brought the necessary forms. We file today."

◇◇◇◇

We spent the next hour documenting everything. Gregory proved surprisingly knowledgeable about patent law, helping me format the technical specifications properly. Kaguya provided precise measurements and observations. Karin handled practical details about equipment and costs.

"Forty-seven pages should be sufficient," Gregory said, reviewing the final draft. "This covers every aspect of the process. Once filed, you'll have legal protection."

"And Aldrich?"

"Will have to accept it or challenge the patent system itself. He's not that stupid." Gregory gathered the papers. "I'll file these immediately. Stay close to the clinic until it's official."

◇◇◇◇

The next few days passed strangely.

Walking to the market with Karin, a helpful vendor offered us free samples of candied fruit. The honey coating tasted off somehow, with a bitter aftertaste that made my stomach clench. Within minutes, I was doubled over retching in an alley while Karin shouted for a healer.

"Food poisoning," the responding doctor pronounced. "Nasty case. You'll be sick for days."

Except I wasn't. An hour later, I felt fine. Better than fine, actually, like my body had burned through whatever toxin it contained and emerged stronger.

"Weird," I said to Karin as we resumed shopping. "Must have been a bad batch."

She stared at me. "Ken, you were dying an hour ago."

"Yeah, that was unpleasant. Should we get those onions now?"

◇◇◇◇

Two days later, I was taking a shortcut through the construction district when the scaffolding above me gave way. Wooden planks and iron spikes came crashing down, one particularly nasty piece of metal punching straight through my chest before pinning me to the ground.

The construction workers rushed over, shouting about accidents and calling for help. I looked down at the spike protruding from my ribs, felt the spreading warmth of blood, and sighed.

"This is going to be awkward to explain," I muttered, then grabbed the spike and pulled it out.

The workers went silent as I climbed to my feet, brushing dust off my coat. The hole in my chest was already sealing, skin knitting back together like it had never been torn.

"Thanks for the concern," I told them. "Might want to check those support beams, though. Safety first."

I walked away, leaving them staring at the bloody spike and the distinct lack of a corpse.

◇◇◇◇

The boulder incident happened the day after that.

I was examining medicinal herbs in the hillside gardens when something large and round came rolling down the slope at considerable speed. No time to dodge, just enough time to think "oh, that's going to hurt" before several tons of stone flattened me into the hillside.

For a moment, there was nothing but darkness and the weight of crushing stone.

Then I was standing next to the boulder, completely intact, brushing pebbles out of my hair. My body had apparently decided that being crushed was temporary and relocated itself to a more convenient position.

"Huh," I said, looking at the Ken-shaped crater in the ground. "That's new."

A farmer came running over. "Are you hurt? I saw the whole thing, that rock came out of nowhere!"

"I'm fine," I assured him. "Though you might want to check what's holding those boulders up there. Seems unstable."

◇◇◇◇

Baron Gregory's patent application was approved on a Thursday morning. By Thursday afternoon, Count Aldrich was standing in the city council chambers, his face purple with rage.

"This is an outrage!" he shouted, waving the patent documents. "This peasant has stolen centuries of noble brewing traditions! He must be stopped!"

The council members looked distinctly uncomfortable. Aldrich had been increasingly agitated lately, and his accusations were becoming harder to follow.

"Count Aldrich," Council Leader Morgana said carefully, "the patent appears to be in order. The process is properly documented and represents genuine innovation."

"Innovation?" Aldrich's voice cracked. "He's unkillable! I had him poisoned, crushed, impaled! He just walks it off like nothing happened! You can't reason with a monster!"

The council chamber went very quiet.

"Count Aldrich," Morgana said slowly, "are you claiming you attempted to murder a citizen of this city?"

"I... no, that's not..." Aldrich's face went from purple to pale as he realized what he'd just said. "I mean, hypothetically, if someone were to..."

"Are you feeling well?" Councilor Reeves asked with genuine concern. "Perhaps you should sit down. This talk of assassination and invulnerable people is quite concerning."

"But he is invulnerable! Ask anyone! The construction workers, the farmers, the market vendors! They all saw!"

The council members exchanged worried glances. Aldrich was ranting about impossible things, confessing to attempted murder, and showing clear signs of mental distress.

"Count Aldrich," Morgana said gently, "I think perhaps you should return home and rest. This patent dispute seems to have affected you more than expected."

"I'm not crazy!" Aldrich screamed. "He's unnatural! He can't be killed! The orba wine is just the beginning!"

Security guards were already moving toward him.

◇◇◇◇

I learned about the council meeting from Gregory that evening.

"Aldrich had some kind of breakdown," he reported. "Started ranting about assassination attempts and claiming you're immortal. The council thinks he's suffering from stress-related delusions."

"Assassination attempts?" I said innocently. "That sounds serious."

"Ken," Karin said slowly, "the poisoning. The construction accident. The boulder."

"What about them?"

"Those weren't accidents, were they?"

I considered this. "Probably not. But they were pretty ineffective, so I didn't think much about it."

Gregory stared at me. "You were poisoned and didn't think much about it?"

"Well, it only lasted an hour. Seemed rude to make a fuss."

Karin and Kaguya exchanged a look.

"Of course it only lasted an hour," Karin said dryly. "Why are we not surprised?"

Kaguya nodded, her quill moving steadily. "I should have predicted the escalation pattern. Poison, impalement, crushing. Very methodical."

Gregory looked between them in confusion. "Wait, you two aren't shocked that he survived being crushed by a boulder?"

"Baron," Karin said patiently, "this is Ken. We stopped being shocked at his general refusal to stay injured weeks ago."

"I keep excellent documentation," Kaguya added helpfully. "Would you like to see the charts?"

"Anyway," I continued, "what happens to Aldrich?"

Gregory shook his head, still looking dazed. "The council is recommending he take a medical leave. Possibly seek treatment for his delusions. Meanwhile, your patent stands unchallenged."

"Perfect. So the orba wine is officially legitimate?"

"More than that. After Aldrich's outburst, the council sees you as a victim of noble harassment. You've got their sympathy and protection now."

◇◇◇◇

That evening, we shared a cup of our original orba wine to celebrate. Outside, the sounds of the quarter carried the scent of fruit fermentation from households trying to replicate our documented process.

"So," Karin said carefully, "just to be clear. You survived poison, impalement, and being crushed by a boulder?"

"Apparently."

"And you thought this was normal?"

"Well, it's not like I had a comparison group." I shrugged. "Besides, they weren't very creative about it. Poison in honey? Loose scaffolding? A conveniently rolling boulder? Amateur hour."

Kaguya looked up from her notes. "Ken, I need to ask some follow-up questions about your apparent invulnerability."

"Can it wait? I'm curious if Count Aldrich will try fire next. Seems like the logical escalation."

Karin put her head in her hands. "You're insane."

"No, Aldrich is insane. The council said so officially. I'm just hard to kill, which turns out to be a useful trait when people keep trying to kill you."

◇◇◇◇

One week later, Count Aldrich was quietly committed to a private sanatorium for treatment of his "stress-induced persecution fantasies." His family took over the distillery operations, and nobody mentioned orba wine patents anymore.

The orba wine became a minor local industry, improving the quarter's economy and giving people access to affordable alcohol for both recreation and medical purposes.