Vahn had been too stunned to resist much more as he was dragged off. What was this window that suddenly came up? And why did he suddenly see this system access window. And, most importantly, why could he suddenly read now!? Isn’t it, like, really really hard to learn how to read?

This situation right now was a little too urgent to deal with sorting through the weird memories going through his head, but these more immediate questions were also distracting.

Well, there was one thing. This guy didn’t seem to notice the system windows. He would have definitely said something if he did. And yes, that was another thing. It wasn’t just one window. There were multiple windows stacked on top of each other. Vahn discovered that he could think and get the hidden and buried windows to show themselves to him. This was something he did immediately.

Congratulations, conditions have been met. Memory seal unlocked to below 90%. You have been granted system access privileges Lv. 2.

System access privileges!? So, is that maybe why he can see system windows popping up now? What do the other windows say? Maybe he can find out more information about what’s going on from them.

Congratulations, you have been granted system access privileges! You have been assigned an artificial intelligence assistant appropriate to your system access level.

Artificial intelligence assistant? What’s that? Why? As he was thinking this, a new window suddenly popped up.

I am your system assistant. I have been created as a feature of your sub-class, Reincarnated Outworlder. This class is possessed as a sub-class by any outworlder who is reincarnated with extraordinarily powerful souls or who are reincarnated with their memories of their previous life in tact.

The starting level of the Reincarnated Outworlder class depends on the strength of your soul in the previous life you lived.

Ok, well, that was several questions answered and several more created at the same time. Since when has he been a reincarnated outworlder!? Well, since he was born probably, going by the name. But… wait, it was talking about a memory seal earlier. If this is true, why were his memories sealed?

Vahn cringed as the guy dragging him pulled him into the main street. He could see the gate now. He had time for maybe one more question for his system assistant. It seemed to have created that last window on it’s own when he thought his last question toward it, maybe it could answer something else.

So then, let’s go with why his memories were sealed.

A gradually weakening memory seal is placed on all individuals who are reincarnated with their memories in tact. Memories of a previous life have been known to interfere with soul cohesion and disrupt growth. The memory seal is designed to weaken with growing levels of the wisdom stat which can allow the soul to more easily accept the new host body.

Ok, so there’s some kind of reason for his health or something. Guess it really doesn’t matter right now. One more thing then. Can he get rid of all these windows and get them back later?

You can request a previously closed system message to be brought back up by your system assistant at any time.

Great! Do that then! With that thought, the three windows he’d already read, the conversation windows with his system assistant, and all the ones he hadn’t managed to get to yet all disappeared from his vision.

The rest of the guards were looking at them strangely when the guard who caught him brought him was approaching. “Hey, what’cha doing bringing back lost kids for? We’ve got bigger problems to deal with right now.”

Vahn struggled in the guy’s grip as he eyed the slums district on the other side of the gate. If he could just get out of their grip and into the slums streets, he could disappear into the crowds and get away.

“He seemed suspicious to me. Might have dismissed it when I noticed it was just a kid but he seemed a little too desperate to get away from me, and he’s obviously not dressed like someone from this side of the gait.” The guy who caught him said.

“What? You seriously think the kid you just caught assassinated a baron, Mr. Hero detective?” There are snickers all around.

“Just let me state my curiosity.” The guy who was holding him said. “Hey, could someone bring out the system access display board?” He called in to the gate house. Everyone around them seemed rather bemused, but Vahn was terrified. If they made him touch the crystal attached to that display board, everyone would be able to see his class and his skills. He didn’t know about any assassination, was that what Mr. Oslow was actually doing at that shop? Well, his skills and class were definitely those for a lookout, and then he’d be caught after they saw that.

Vahn was stuck for what to do. Does he struggle more to get away? Make a break for it? This guy is holding his arm pretty firmly, and his grip tightened as soon as he asked for the system access board. There’s no way he’s going to let him escape no matter how hard he struggles.

Plus, there’s the fact that he’d already been identified as suspicious once for trying too hard to get away. Maybe his best bet was to just try to minimize the damage and find some way to spin it so he’s not here with Mr. Oslow’s team. Could he do that? Well, he’d have to!

A clerk-like looking guy behind the counter at the gate house pulled out the board and dangled it down from the front lip of the window. The guy who’d caught him pushed him forward, step by step toward his doom in the form of a black slate board with a clear lightly bluish crystal embedded into the bottom of it. The guy reached down with his free hand and grabbed the wrist of Vahn’s other arm. He pushed his hand forward, and then…

 

Name: Vahn

Age: 5

Class: Apprentice street thief Lv. 2

Titles: Born to the streets, Recognized child prodigy

Health: 11

Mana: 3

Stamina: 5

Will: 2

Deftness: 5

Vibrance: 4

Wisdom: 8

Inteligence: 3

Unused skill points: 6

Skills

General: Observation (wilderness) Lv. 1, Gathering Lv. 2, Observation (people) Lv. 2, People watching Lv. 3, Knowledge (streets) Lv. 1, Misdirect Lv. 3, Convincing lie Lv. 2, Lock picking familiarity Lv. 1

Combat: General combat skill Lv. 1, Wrestling Lv. 2, Dagger familiarity (very small, hiltless, single-edge) Lv. 1

 

There was a heavy silence when Vahn’s stats became visible to everyone. The clerk guy pulled up the board and looked at it himself and swore quietly under his breath.

“What is it?” The guard who was giving the guy a hard time asked and then approached and leaned against the wall of the gatehouse in order to peer in the window at the display board. He was momentarily stunned to silence. “Holy crap!” He cursed quite a bit louder, and then turned a stunned gaze toward Vahn. “This… shit! A freaking five year old with elevin health!? And… shit! He’s even got some skill levels up to 3 already!”

“Child prodigy.” The clerk chuckled and shook his head. “Really, it’s too bad, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” one of the other guards crowding around to get a look said. “They’re definitely good for his age, if these were warrior classes and skills he might even have a knighthood in his future. He’s even upgraded his child class into an apprentice class already!”

“Guess that means he’s been very active as a thief.” Another guard said, getting several heavy stairs directed at Vahn over this observation.

“Shh… shut up!” Vahn yelled as he struggled. “We can’t get any food to eat if we don’t steal for it! The people here in the rich people’s district have all they want! We’ll all starve to death if we don’t steal for it! You don’t know anything!” He yelled. He realized maybe this could be his chance. Maybe he can play on their sympathies a little. And it’s not like any of what he’s saying was false either.

“Ahem.” The guy holding him cleared his throat. “Well, at the very least, this means we can’t let him go. Can we hold him in the gait house’s holding cell? We clearly don’t have time to question him right now, but he might be a lead on the incident that just happened.”

“Yeah, we’ll watch him.” The clerk said and then went to open the door in the gait house. Vahn was dragged inside and the clerk guided the guard over to another door inside. He opened this and it revealed a couple of small cells made with iron bars.

“Put your hands on the bars.” The guard ordered after dragging him over to the cells. Vahn bit down the resentful emotions he had running through him right now and did what he was told. His chances at escape all more or less disappeared the moment he was dragged into this gait house, so he had no real choice but to do as he was told.

“Can you frisk him?” The guard asked the clerk. “I can’t with my gauntlets on.”

The clerk nodded and walked up behind him and knelt down. He started running his hands around the waist-line of his pants, starting from the back and moving around to the front. After this, he checked Vahn’s ankles, but then stopped when he realized he had no shoes.

Both men seemed satisfied after that, and then the clerk pulled a key off his belt and opened the cell door, after which Vahn was immediately forced inside. The hinges of the door squeaked as it closed, and then it made a loud click as it was shut into place. After this, the clerk locked the cell.

“Alright, I’ll be back later. Probably in the evening. Let the next shift know if it takes until then.” The guard said.

The clerk just chuckled. “I kinda doubt anyone’s going to be able to go home on time tonight with a noble being assassinated and all.” He said. “I really hope this kid’s not connected to it.”

“Yeah, me too.” The guard said. “Well, I have an assassin to help catch. Keep this gait locked down until further notice.”

“Will do. Guess that means I really have no other job to do except watch this kid here, huh?” The clerk said.

“Guess so. See if maybe you can find something out from him, make my job a little easier. If he does turn out to be connected to it…”

“Yeah, I’ll let you know.” The clerk said. The guard nodded and then walked out of the room.

Vahn locked eyes with the clerk as he turned to face him in his cell for a moment. The man shook his head sadly and then walked out of the room. He kept the outer door to the cells open though, and it provided about the only source of light for the room.

As soon as the clerk-like guy was out of the room, Vahn went up to the door and tried shaking it a few times, but it was holding firm. He briefly considered the hair-pin stuck to the collar of his inner-layer shirt, finally realizing and appreciating why it was that his father made him wear two shirts and wear the hair-pin for lock picking there after he’d had his pants searched. But…

“That’s not going to work, kid.” The clerk called back.

Yeah, that’s definitely a problem. He’s going to have to wait until he’s not being watched, even just from someone listening who can overhear him trying to do something.

So, what CAN he do now?