Current Events > CYOA: Your job is to watch over doors

(+) Yeah! (+)

Currently, you are Groog, the Berrywatcher.

You watch over the entrance to the Berry Cave.
Doors haven't been invented yet so it's really just a big hole that you stand in front of.

You feel a nice constant breeze through the entrance, due to the inside of this cave being rather chilly compared to the hot sunny outside.
Not that you would know what causes that. But you intuitively know that cold good for food.

A very skinny and lanky man approaches you. He introduces himself as Oog.

You ask him what his job is.

He says his job is to eat berries. He is Oog the Berryeater.

You tell him that is not a job.

He grunts aggressively that you must respect his profession.
He explains that it is because of his job that his father, and his father before him have stayed alive.

His logic is infallible. Staying alive is good. You give him the grunt of approval.

He says he smells berries inside your cave and wishes to go inside.
What do you do?

A) Let him in
B) Convince him there are no berries here
C) Tell him it is your job not to let him in

bump

C.

Lol TC

C

TC is one of my favorite CYOA writers

B fuck that guy

Man, I haven't seen you post a CYOA in what feels like forever! Whatever happened to that muscle wizard story?

Also C

Glad to see some familiar faces still hanging around lol, and I am grateful for everyone's continued support :)
Muscle wizard story purged sadly, and I didn't have the free time to revive it back then. Here's hoping that circumstances are kinder to me this time.

C) Tell him it is your job not to let him in

You tell him you cannot let him in. Your father entrusted you with watching the berries and you cannot let him down.

He tells you that watching does not entail protecting it. He argues that you should just watch as he takes the berries, and you would still be doing your duties.

His logic continues to be infallible.

You tell him that this makes sense, probably. However, you are tasked to watch over ALL of your people's berries. If he were to take one, you would follow him in order to watch the berries he takes.

He tells you he is an honest man, and that he is actually just going to eat them all in front of you. You would be relieved from your duties as there would be no more berries to watch. He insists it is beneficial for both of you.

What do you do?
A) What an honest and helpful guy, let him in
B) Continue denying him entry

B!

B, don't lose your job, Groog

B) Continue denying him entry.

You shake your head at him, standing resolute about the safety of these berries.

Oog grunts defeatedly, then nods at you. He respects your decision for today, and says he will come back tomorrow.

You do not see a problem with this, so long as he does not take the berries. You wave him off as he walks away.

And so, the sun sets. And the sun rises again. And you stand guard in front of the cave.

True to his promise, Oog returns. He asks once again if he can eat your berries.

And once again, you shake your head.

He nods. While he is here, he decides to tell you about a shiny rock he and his people found. It is orange and seems to react to fire. He tells you where he found it, in hopes that you and your people may use this knowledge.

You smile and thank him for this.

He returns the smile and says he will return again.

Sun sets. Sun rises. Oog comes by. Oog has a story to tell for the day. Oog leaves.

Many suns set and rise.

Oog comes by with a large dinosaur companion. He tells you the tale of how he tamed this beast three times his size, simply by wrestling it.

He allows you to pet it. You oblige, and the dinosaur is pleased.

Oog once again asks if he can eat your berries.

You shake your head, and thank him for today's tale.

He smiles and leaves.

The tree leaves change color after many suns. The berries your people store in the cave also changes.
But your job to watch them stays all the same.

The sun rises. But Oog arrives just as the sun is setting. He asks if he can eat your berries.

You shake your head as always. This time, you take the chance to ask why he is determined to eat your berries.

He answers that it is his job as a berry eater to do so.

You reply that there are many other places to eat berries from.

He says that he has eaten from many places already. But his job is never over, much like how yours never ends either.

You remark that this cannot be his only reason.

Suddenly, a large twinkle shows up in the sky, larger than the other twinkles in the sky. You've seen it many times before, but never knew what it was.

Oog tells you that his people call it a Wishing Rock, named because you make a wish and the twinkly rock will carry it to the heavens.

He says he will make the same wish that he has been making for a while now. You ask him what it is.
He wishes to share a meal with you one day, so you may share the joy of living another day.

You clarify that it will not make you share your berries. But you tell him that as soon as your role is over, you might oblige with his wish.

He laughs, saying that is what he expected. He waves you off as he walks away.

Sun sets. Sun rises.

For today, he asks you why do you watch these berries.

You reply that it has been your father's role, and his father's role, all the way until it has become your role.

He is not satisfied with your answer. He asks the same question again.

You are not sure what to tell him. Your people wish to keep their berries safe, and so you shall keep them safe.

He seems to be slightly more satisfied, but still stands there while pondering.

You ask him why his role is to eat berries.

He says that his people have given him life, and so there dares not to waste it by starving away.

You too stand there, slightly unsatisfied.

You both shrug. He asks if he can eat your berries today. You shake your head.

Oog smiles and walks away.

The trees change color again. The sky has slowly gotten redder and redder.

As you stand guard on this quiet night, you wonder if the sky is on fire.

Oog arrives rather late.

He points to a twinkling light in the sky, bigger and brighter than the other lights in the sky. As you stare at it, the light continues to grow in size. The sky starts to brighten up with a red hue even though it is far from daytime.
He says he feels an omen with this Wishing Rock in particular.

You ask if that omen will make him change his wish.

He shakes his head and says it has stayed the same, just like all the other times he has seen the Wishing Rock.

You both stare at the Wishing Rock as the sky gets brighter and brighter. You feel the air getting warmer as well, even though it has been cold recently.

Oog asks once more, without looking away from the sky, if he can eat your berries.

A) Stand aside
B) Shake your head

B lol

B of course.

bump

B

B) Shake your head

You shake your head.

Oog laughs and commends your commitment 'til the end.

You ask him what he means by the end.

He closes his eyes and says he will have to carry on his wish to the next life.

You open your mouth to reply, but in the next instant, the twinkle in the distance touches the horizon, and light engulfs your entire view. The tremors make you lose balance. You feel immense pain as your blood begins to boil.

And then, you feel nothing.

* * *

Currently, you are Gregor, the Coinwatcher.

A hot new invention has been making the rounds lately; this concept called Money. It seems you can exchange it for goods and services.

Personally, you thought life was simpler when you could give away berries and cows for other berries and cows.

Now here you stand guard in front of the wooden door of a small cabin.

The door opens and a short man exits out of it; your employer named Samson.

"Now Gregor, I'm off to the market to procure more money," he says while tying a sack full of objects you don't know about. "Once again, please make sure nobody takes the money I have stashed in this cabin, you hear?"

You nod and brandish your quarterstaff.

Samson pats your shoulderguard and then skedaddles off on the beaten path into the forest.

You look around for anyone suspicious. So far it's just you, this cabin, and a bunch of trees.

Moments pass, and a very skinny and lanky man approaches you.

You point your staff at him.

He raises his hands. "P...please, I mean no harm. My name is Oskar. I'm just a wanderer in search of food. Would you happen to have any?"

Samson should have some food inside the cabin. But that's also where his money is. Although your job is just to watch his money, not his food.
What do you do?

A) Come in with him and find some food
B) Tell him to go somewhere else
C) Have him wait around until Samson returns

A! Guarding food not Gregor's job. Nice name by the way, now you got me thinking of the Fire Emblem character. Maybe I should use him in my next Awakening playthrough.

C
Maybe Samson can help this guy out but I can't just give away his stuff

C.

C

Our job is to guard the coins. It is much easier to guard the coins if no one is inside the cabin. B but C if he doesn't leave

anti purge bump

C) Have him wait around until Samson returns

You lower your staff. "The owner of this cabin should have some food, but it'll take some time before he returns. You will have to wait until then, wanderer Oskar."

Oksar sighs. "I'm a touch too starved to wait. You're a guardsman, are you not? Don't you have any food for your lunch break or something?"

You look at him with confusion. "What is...a lunch break?"

He blinks. "You are doing a job, yes? Most jobs include a break."

"I don't think breaks have been invented around here yet," you say, scratching your head. "What does one do during this...break?"

"Well, nothing really. People usually rest and eat."

"But if I do that, then someone might sneak in and take my boss' money." You point your staff at him again. "You must be trying to trick me into taking this foul break! But unfortunately for you, I am not fooled so easily."

He raises his hands while rolling his eyes. "Oh no, you got me," he says unenthused.

You stance up. "I knew it, have at thee!"

He panics and backs away. "Whoa whoa, do you not understand what sarcasm is either?"

"What is...sarcasm? Is this another trick?"

"No--" Oskar pauses. "Well, I suppose it kind of is, in a way."

You point your staff at him again.

He raises his hands again. "But in a joking manner! You see, when someone is being sarcastic, they actually mean the opposite."

You raise an eyebrow. "And right now, you are being sarcastic?"

"Yes."

"So you say you are joking...but you are not? Which means you ARE trying to trick me?!"

He frantically shakes his head. "No!"

"Aha! You say no, so you really mean yes!"

Oskar thinks for a moment. "Y...yes?"

You stance up. "Yes?! I knew it, have at thee!"

"Ack! Forget about the sarcasm! I am not trying to trick you!"

Y--

"And no," he continues, "That was not sarcasm. Good grief, you have a lot to learn, don't you?

You stand up straight. "I do not have anything left to learn. My father taught me how to watch over things like he does. He has not taught me trivial things like breaks or sarcasm. It seems irrelevant to my job."

"And what exactly IS your job?"

"I am Gregor, the Coinwatcher. My current role is to stand here and make sure nobody touches the stash of money inside this cabin."

Oskar's eyes light up. "Oh...there's a lot of money in there, you say?"

"No, I said my current role--"

"Yes, I heard what you said!" He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Alright so, this boss of yours, he will return soon?"

You nod.

"Alright, I shall hide behind this cabin then and wait for him."

...

The sun starts to set. Along the beaten path, Samson appears with a larger sack than he left with.

He tips his hat at you. "Greetings Gregor, is my money safe?"

You nod. "Yes. Can I ask you a question?"

Samson puts down the sack, which makes the sound of crinkling coins. "What is it? I don't have all day now."

"What is a break? Am I supposed to have one?"

His face darkens. "You? Take breaks? Don't be silly now, I'm not paying you to take any breaks."

"But I heard that other places have breaks--"

He grips your shoulderguard. "We're not IN other places, Gregor. Other places have taxes and labor laws. But here in the middle of nowhere? I get to do whatever the hell I want. And I'm saying that you can't take breaks. Got it?"

You stand unmoved, and nod.

He lets go of you and straightens his coat. "Good. I don't know who's been feeding you these outlandish tidbits, but--"

Suddenly, Oskar charges out from behind the cabin and tackles Samson to the ground, choking him.

Samsom flails around. "G...Gregor! Help...me!"

What do you do?
A) Help Samson
B) Your job is to watch the money, not keep Samson alive. Stand and do nothing.
C) Your job is to make sure NOBODY touches the money, not even him. Join in and kick Samson's ass.

A

C for the lulz. Wont have a job to watch the coins if Samson is dead, but it'd be fun to see where it goes.

C!

C

A. Maybe we'll get that break if we save Samson's life

C) Your job is to make sure NOBODY touches the money, not even him. Join in and kick Samson's ass.

You walk over to them, looming over Samson's struggling face which grows more purple by the second. You point your staff at his head.

Samson's eyes widen. "You...mutt! This is...murder!"

Oskar tightens his grip. "Murder in other places, maybe. But here in the middle of nowhere? It's just doing whatever we want."

You raise your staff.

Oskar closes his eyes and looks away. In the next instant, he feels some blood splatter on him. He opens his eyes and gets up. "Well, I thought he'd never shut up. Now how about that food and money, eh Gregor?"

You stance up. "You cannot touch the money. It is still my job to--"

"What job, man? The guy that gave you the job is dead!"

You pause and think. "So...my job is...invalid now?"

Oskar pats his clothes and tries to get the blood off of them. "Yes, exactly, you're free now."

You drop your staff. "I am...without purpose. I have never been without purpose. What do I do now, wanderer Oskar?"

Oskar's stomach rumbles. "How's this for your new purpose; we raid this cabin. I'm starving."

The two of you step inside. Admittedly, you've never been inside. The only thing you've ever been told is that there's money in here.
It's fairly furnished with a nice wooden table, some chairs, a rug, and a lot of crates and chests lying around.

On the table is a sack of bread and jerky.

Oskar starts drooling. "Now we're talking. Let's dig in."

You tilt your head. "Where are we digging? I did not bring a shovel."

He sighs. "It's--you know what, forget it. Are you hungry or not?"

You rub your stomach. Indeed, you are also starving, but you didn't pay it much heed.

He walks over to the table and tosses you a loaf. "That's what I thought." He takes a seat and urges you to do the same.

You nod and sit across from him, taking a bite out of the loaf along with him. You're not sure why, but this feels both familiar yet strange. You look to the side, out the window where you can see a twinkle in the night sky.

"Wanderer Oskar, what is your purpose?"

Oskar finishes chewing. "Staying alive, if you can call that a purpose. You seem rather fixated on these things. Do you not want anything for yourself?"

You stare at the bite marks you've left on the bread. "Desires only serve oneself. I live for the people around me. Only together do people thrive."

"Well, I don't disagree. But you won't be of much help if you're dead."

"That is true. I suppose staying alive is a noble purpose." You look outside the window again. "What should I do now, wanderer Oskar? My role has always been made clear to me. I have always kept watch around my previous village. Even my father sold me to Samson, which made my job obvious. But now, everything feels so foggy."

Oskar thinks to himself and proposes to...
A) Use Gregor's expertise in guarding and Oskar's penchant for murder to swindle rich people that need bodyguards
B) Figure it out yourself, and part ways here
C) [Free choice]

A if only for lack of creativity on my part.

A

C) Kill Oskar if he touches the money at any point, otherwise A).

bumpin

A) Use Gregor's expertise in guarding and Oskar's penchant for murder to swindle rich people that need bodyguards

Oskar looks over to the piles of money lying around in sacks and opened chests. "Y'know, we technically just made a large sum of money."

You take another bite of your bread. "We did not make that. It was Samson."

"And Samson generously offered it to us, post-mortem." He grins and points his half-eaten loaf at you. "Why don't we keep doing what we just did here today? We'll become the wealthiest people in the region!"

"So our job would be to rob people?" you ask.

"Pigs like Samson aren't people, silly."

You look over to your bloodied staff leaning against the wall. "And what would we do with all the wealth we acquire?"

"Spend it, of course. Won't have to worry about surviving ever again when we can just buy another day!"

You finish up your loaf and look at your staff again. "Surviving is a...noble purporse, after all."

Oskar finishes up his loaf too. "It sure is, Gregor. Let's clean ourselves up and then start looking for our next 'client' tomorrow."

...

The sun rises.

After putting on some clean clothes and washing your quarterstaff, you and Oskar go down through the forest on the beaten path that Samson usually took. Eventually, the trees clear out and you end up at a large village full of unfamiliar faces. In the center is a well, where a handful of folks are hanging out to fill up their buckets. Through the alleyway, you see a bunch of stalls. Next to the entrance of that alleyway, you see a few buildings with signs that says "Bank", "Guild", and "Tavern".

Oskar whistles while looking around. "I haven't been here before. Didn't think there would be a village so close to that forest."

You observe the people at the well, who are all wearing shabby clothes similar to what Oskar is wearing. Then you look at your outfit of leather garments and a shoulder guard. "Wanderer Oskar, do I not stand out compared to these people?"

He pats your back. "It'll be fine as long as you stick by me. Now come on, let's go look for some 'clients' over at..."

A) The marketplace
B) The bank
C) The guild
D) The tavern

A

D.

B makes the most sense to me if our quarry is rich people.

Actually scratch that, change my vote to A. Banks are where rich people go to hoard their money, but the marketplace is where they go to spend/get conned out of their money.

A

Tag for later

A new CYOA of yours is always a treat

Bump

Up lol!

A) The marketplace

You both head over to the marketplace. It's a wide alleyway with many stalls lined up on the walls on your left and right. Dozens of people are walking through this alleyway, and many plenty are hunched over the stalls chattering with the stall owners. You notice that one far-back stall in particular is gathering a much larger crowd than the other ones.

Before you could take a good look around, Oskar stops you and says "Behind you."

You immediately flourish your quarterstaff, turn around and then jab your potential assailant--

A kid in a hood and really tattered clothes falls on his back from your jab.

Oskar lifts him up by the collar with one hand and presents him to the people around. "Anyone lost a kid? He's about this tall and seems to be a pickpocket."

Strangely enough, no one seems to bat an eye at this. They're all just going about their merry days.

The kid flails his legs. "Let...go!"

Oskar slams him against the wall. "Guess you're not very popular around here. So, are you a pickpocket?"

He tries to spit at Oskar, but Oskar slaps the kid's face before he could.

Oskar tightens his grip on the kid's collar. "It's a yes or no question. Spitting isn't part of your choices."

The kid's grimace worsens. "Whatcha gonna do, turn me in to the guards?"

"Nah," Oskar says with a grin. "Just letting you know that you wouldn't have been very successful. We didn't bring any money, you see. But..."

He yanks a pouch that was tied to the kid's waist. It makes the distinct sound of coins.

Oskar shakes it in front of the kid's face. "Would you look at that. Now we brought some."

The kid struggles more. "Give that back! I need it for--"

"Your mom's illness or some asinine sob story?" Oskar rolls his eyes. "And that makes stealing okay? Well, we need it too. And since stealing is okay to you, we'll be keeping it."

He grits his teeth. "You'll regret this."

"Oh nooo, I bet something bad is about to happen," Oskar says sarcastically, then faces you. "Gregor. Behind to your left."

You swing your staff to your left, clotheslining yet another kid in tattered clothing that was running up to you. He looks nearly identical to the kid against the wall.

As he falls to the ground, you anchor your staff against his chest.

"Wanderer Oskar, how did you..."

"Sensing malicious intent is a vital skill for surviving. Anyway what is with all the pickpocketing children here?" Oskar looks around to see nobody batting an eye still. "And why does nobody care?"

The kid on the ground stays without fighting back. "You're a buncha newcomers, huh? Look closer at the people around you and you'll realize what kind of place this is."

You look around and notice that almost every person in this marketplace is armed with knives and shortswords. One stall has an angry customer yelling at the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper sighs and blugeons the customer with a club, knocking him unconscious. The shopkeeper then calls for the next guy in line.

Oskar whistles. "Well, can't say I'm a stranger to this. I would've thought Samson did his business in a more...refined place."

The kid against the wall stops struggling. "You know Mr. Samson?"

"In a way," Says Oscar. "Why? Is 'Mr.' Samson popular around here?"

The kid on the ground perks up as well. "He's the only one who could compete against Johnson over there," he says pointing at the most crowded stall you saw earlier. "Usually Mr. Samson would've been here by now, and it ain't like him to be late."

"Plus," wall kid continues, "Our boss was gonna meet up with him today."

Oskar grins and thinks to himself. These kids do not realize it, but they just gave you some vital pieces of information. That Johnson guy seems to be as rich as Samson. And these pickpockets, who also had a fair amount of money on them, have someone they report to, presumably to turn in their "collections". Definitely someone who's loaded. And they're both connected to Samson, which gives you both an excuse to approach them.

Who should you target first?
A) Johnson
B) The boss of the pickpockets

B.

B

B

B) The boss of the pickpockets

"Your boss, you say?" says Oskar creepily.

"Wanderer Oskar, is this not enough? These children seem to be adequately intimidated." you say, loosening the pressure you're putting on the kid on the ground.

"Hmm..." Oskar drops the kid on the wall. "You're right, Gregor. Tell you what, kid. I'll give you this pouch back if you let us meet your boss."

The kid gets up and dusts himself off. "That's all? That's easy. Follow me," he says smugly, walking back towards the entrance of the marketplace.

The kid on the ground moves your staff away and also gets up, following right behind the other kid.

They lead you back to the bank you saw earlier. Inside, the brick walls are lavishly decorated with statues and paintings. The front of the store has two clerks manning a counter.

The kids walk up and greet them.

The clerk waves back at them and open up the counter to let them in, and also open up a door behind the counter.

The kids motion you over.

You follow them in through the door and see a very large muscular man sitting behind a desk. He adjusts his glasses as he peers through some papers, then notices you all come in.

"Ah, Raz. Barry. Back so soon?" He puts their hoods down and ruffles their hair. "Who's these guys?

Raz, the brown-haired one, speaks up. "Dunno. Buncha newcomers."

Barry, the blond-haired one, fixes up his hair. "Said they wanted to meet you."

Raz turns to Oskar and glares at him. "Alright, here he is. You gonna hold up your end of the deal?"

Oskar walks up confidently. "Of course. Here you go," he says, handing Raz the pouch.

Raz shakes it but hears nothing. "Hey, what's the big idea?! Where's the money?!"

"Money? When did I say anything about that? The deal was that I'd give you the pouch back," Oskar says, pulling out his own bag where the coins now reside. "How unfortunate for you. It's pretty nice having money."

The boss glares at you two. Then erupts into hearty laughter. "He got you good, Raz! You ain't gonna make it out there if you fall for a simple trick like that!"

Raz pouts.

Barry walks up to the table and puts his pouch on it. "Mine didn't get stolen."

"Oho, good job Barry," says the boss while patting him on the shoudler.

Oskar gives you a questionable gaze. "You didn't take his money?"

You shake your head. "I was not told to."

He sighs.

"Alright, you kids, git. Your shift aint over yet," the boss says, shooing them away.

The kids nod and run out the door.

The boss takes off his glasses and stands up to his full, 7ft height. "Right. The name's Granite." He extends his gargantuan hand out for you two to shake.

Oskar takes it first. "Nice to meet you, I'm Os-KUH--" he gets interrupted by his hand nearly getting crushed.

Granite lets go and then extends his hand towards you.

In times like this, you remember the first thing your father taught you when someone extends their hand out like this.

You grab it and...

A) Shake it
B) Throw him over your shoulder