And that's eighteen! Thank you to everyone who signed up. Keep in mind - you can still join as a replacement, and a couple of our players have very graciously offered to trade spots if you haven't gotten to play many KGs!
You are cordially invited to this year's Grand Experiment, held at the GHOST Complex in Evershade Valley! Here, the greatest minds of the paranormal sciences gather, assembling at one of the world's greatest hubs of paranormal research, in order to push the boundaries of knowledge and pursue a deeper understanding of the world!
If you received this invitation, we have selected you based on either your innate paranormal abilities, or interest in the paranormal itself and its related technology. Either way, we would love to have you here to pool your knowledge and skills with the resources of the GHOST Complex. With your help, our knowledge will reach heights never before seen!
Please reply to this invitation to communicate your interest. We expect you on May 1st, when the Grand Experiment will begin!
"Are you sure you want to do this?
I can't see what's going to happen to you on the other side."
♢ "Yes, I'm certain. We know so little about these creatures,
even though they exist all around us if you look for them.
You said there is a research facility, correct? Think about the opportunity.
Nobody has ever studied these beings in any serious capacity before." ♢
"I feel some kind of... wall thing between our worlds? It's fighting me.
I can hold it open for long enough to send you through from this side, but once you're there
I don't know when it will be weak enough again to pull you back."
♢ "That's fine. I'll find my own way back." ♢
"Lay off him, guys. This is his thing. He's got to blaze his own trail.
Plus, he'll probably flounder about and do something embarrassing,
and that will be fun for us to watch."
*SMACK*
"OW! Dick!!"
"We will be in touch. If anything happens, you can talk to us through this magical artifact."
♢ "This is... Why is the artifact an old cloth rag?" ♢
"I'm sorry. Your request came on such short notice,
this is the only object I had on hand to enchant that quickly."
♢ "Dare I ask why it is damp?" ♢
"I uh... spilled some juice earlier and then grabbed the wrong napkin,
so... I may have wiped down the table with the communicator by accident. Sorry!"
♢ "... This mission is off to a great start already." ♢
"Hah!"
♢ "What is the name of this world I'm going to?" ♢
"I believe it is called--"
"Dirt"!
♢ "Anyone with a serious answer?" ♢
"No, he is essentially correct.
The planet is named after dirt, that's what my readings said."
♢ "Perhaps I should have brought mittens..." ♢
♢ "Day Zero. Arrived safely on Planet Dirt." ♢
♢ "My field study begins. Forthwith I will
unlock the mysteries of these creatures once and for all." ♢
(Credit to Minimum Wage Employee for Jack's dialogue portraits)
"Oh, finally! Someone else is here. I've been waiting here alone for about five minutes... so, how'd you get here? Don't leave out anything funny, I need new material."
The following post contains spoilers for the original AKG2. Links to the original game are provided throughout, if you want to read the game for yourself first.
It all began 12 years ago.
An expedition into a distant jungle. The world's greatest detectives, called forth to solve an unsolvable mystery. Only for it all to end in failure, and a hasty retreat. At least, that's what the official story was for the next 4 years, until something remarkable happened. A survivor, once thought dead, emerged in New Donk City, and with an incredible story to tell.
Spending 4 years in the Jungle, he had honed his survival skills facing off against wolves, barely able to muster the strength to keep going. Until one fateful day, when he came across a mysterious mansion. It was old and decrepit, full of clockwork mechanisms whose condition were as haggard as his own. Deciding it was still better than a home-made shelter in the rain, he made his way inside, hoping for a better quality of life than the jungle had been offering him.
Inside the mansion, he found himself caught up in a game of life and death, orchestrated by a ghoul most mysterious. He and several other residents of the manor were forced to murder each other, and this naturally weighed heavily upon the great detective. After all the violence he had experienced in the jungle, on the run from those dastardly wolves, he didn't fancy having to attack his fellow humans. But the machinations of fate would not allow him to get out of this conundrum so easily.
Even as early as the first night, the detective was on the back foot. He had spent his time exploring the mansion and doing his usual exercises, only to stumble upon the victim just as he was ending his night. He knew this meant he must begin his investigation immediately, but as he worked with his fellow investigators, it became clear to the group that only two people had the ability to have done this kill... and he was one of them. Knowing his own innocence, he was sure it was the other party, a young teen named Monika, and did his best to convince the others, searching for any evidence that could implicate his opponent. Eventually, he was able to find a single, lone contradiction, catching the true culprit in a lie, and preserving his own life.
The second night gave him a welcome reprieve, with a thrilling wrestling match taking place between the legendary Beowulf and some of the mansion's other residents, with a bit of murder investigating happening afterwards. Unfortunately, fate would not be so kind the following night. Two people were murdered that night... and one had happened right in front of him. Fearing the danger from the double-murder night, the detective had teamed up with Fanta, one of the mansions other residence, and the pair had made their way to the kitchen when disaster struck, and they were ambushed by Dante from the Devil May Cry series, who knocked him out and killed his companion. Determined to avenge his fallen friend, he and the other investigators uncovered Dante's true identity, and justice was served.
Just before they left the Old Clockworks, Beowulf had reached out to the detective. He had been gathering a team, one that would work together to solve the true mystery of these mansions: finding and reassembling the shards of the fabled Dark Moon. There were 5 shards to be found, with a couple already having been obtained by his collaborators, and the promise that bringing all of them together could provide them a way of escape. The detective eagerly accepted the invitation, and the group began working with great efficiency to track down each of the remaining shards. There were some obstacles and internal conflicts during this process, but after only three nights in their new location, the group had succeeded in obtaining all 5 shards, and planned to make their escape.
On that fateful night, the detective and one of his companions, Meta Knight, solved the remaining puzzles to reveal the final mansion's shard. With everything going to plan, the pair made their way to the altar, where they collected the shard and waited for their companions to meet them. But, unbeknownst to them, an assassin had chosen this very room to commit a murder attempt. The attacker jumped the pair, pushing the detective out and beginning a struggle with his companion. Once the detective was finally able to get back into the room, the only thing left was his companion's dead body... and he finally broke, weeping for all that he had lost. The years he lost when stranded in the jungle, and the companions and colleagues he had seen murdered before his very eyes. Beowulf and the others arrived, but with only four of them, it was impossible to escape that night. But this didn't bother the detective anymore. He had unfinished business to attend to... solving one final murder. He put his all into the investigation, and managed to identify the correct culprit and bring them to justice, avenging the death of their fallen ally.
With that final job out of the way, the team recruited two more allies to assist in their final escape plan, with one staying behind as the others escaped. They gathered the bodies of their fallen friends from each mansion, and faced off against the evil mastermind, the King of the Boos, who sought to keep them trapped there. With the power of teamwork and soap, the detective and his allies overcame this final obstacle, and they escaped through a magic portal created by the Dark Moon, which released them into New Donk City. A changed man, the detective learned to put aside his prejudices and rededicated his life to his one true love: solving mysteries.
Time would fail me to make mention of every single thing that took place in those fateful mansions. The deadly kitchens, the obsessions with soap, the fact that his closest ally was themed around his previous nemesis, the final murder that went "unsolved" because literally everyone else was in on it... I won't waste too much more of your time. However, there is one final mystery that remains.
Buried deep within this tale is a small detail, easily overlooked. A deal made with an mysterious entity, in a temple deep within the jungle. A paranormal power that allows the creation of bodies of water, as well as transit between them. And a ghostly complexion, weak to wards and talismans. The detective never once attempted to kill a man, so these fantastical powers are merely a footnote in a greater tale. But, a time comes for each mystery to be solved. A paranormal research gathering, bringing together others with similar powers... a perfect stage, wouldn't you agree? Indeed, it seems the time has come for a certain man to finally make his return...
And that man... is me.
Nice to meet ya. Name's Luke Atmey. Please, no autographs.