https://youtu.be/JNpRPEY1D4E

As Galileo barged through the back door and into the backyard, he saw a most interesting sight - the sight of a blond Freesian peering into his shed, with one of his fallen employees behind him, a gun on the ground by his feet. And the man - who he recognised as a priest at that church at Luster Street - was wearing a suit, much like his own men. Indeed, if he didn't recognise Jude and know for a fact that he wasn't one of his underlings, he'd assume this was a classic case of infighting and punish both men.

But, alas, this wasn't. He'd been infiltrated. And as he looked ahead, he quickly collected his senses and began a slow, sarcastic clap. "Jude Williams. I can't say I saw this coming." he said, and at once, the priest looked back at him, his violet eyes meeting Galileo's orange ones in surprise as he realised the crystal had likely worn off. "A holy man, breaking into someone else's house? I wonder, just what are they teaching you in that church?"

Jude chuckled quietly, remaining composed as he continued to look at Galileo, not moving from his position and maintaining a peaceful smile. "Good morning, Grant. Lovely weather we're having today, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, yes." Galileo smiled a plastic smile in return. "Now, I see you have one of my friends in your custody. I wonder what that could be all about."

"Sir! He attacked me!" the henchman exclaimed as strongly as he could. "He struck me, and I never saw it coming!"

"That's actually not true. We made our first strikes at about the same time." Jude said, remaining cheerful as he saw Silas and Azurine enter the backyard through the open door, both having scrambled to examine the situation and letting out a shared sigh of relief once they saw Jude was still alive. Galileo looked back at the two of them, raising an eyebrow dismissively before looking at his fallen henchman.

"You. Go." he ordered abruptly, and the man nodded, scrambling to his feet and running away from the scene into the house, aggressively signing at Jude the whole time. So now, it was just the four of them, with Galileo in the centre of the yard, shaking his head. "So, what do we have here? A priest and two meddling little imbeciles?"

"Jude, you okay?" Silas spoke up first, his query met with a nod from the dark-skinned priest.

"Oh, thank Spero!" Azurine exclaimed. "You're here, and just in time for us to expose this man as a member of Libera once and for all!"

"So that's why you've been poking around? So you can 'expose' me?" Galileo raised an eyebrow, putting his hands in his pockets before stepping further away from everyone and smirking at them. "I take it this means your search has borne fruit, correct?"

"Something like that. I've seen what operations you've been getting up to inside this very building." Jude nodded slowly. "But I feel like whatever I find in this shed will help it all come together."

"Way to go, Jude!" Azurine beamed brightly while Silas crossed his arms, giving an approving nod. Galileo seemed to smile as well, but Jude caught onto the fact that his expression was somewhat uneasy, as if his smile was held together by pure ego. Because he knew he was on the right track - but then, why still smile at all? It made no sense, unless he still had a trick up his sleeve...

"Very impressive indeed, Jude! You've managed to confound me and subdue my henchman!" Galileo smiled, sarcastically clapping once again. "But I think we're all dying to know just what comes next."

"Why are you so confident? We've caught you red-handed!" Azurine declared, pointing her finger at him. "All we need to do is expose our proof, and you're toast!"

https://youtu.be/wmF0ru0GH64

Galileo chuckled. "How hopelessly naive!" he said, glancing back at Jude to make sure he wasn't being recorded. "Alright, I confess. I am, in fact, a member of Libera. Not that you'll ever be able to act on this knowledge, mind you."

"You're that sure you'll be able to stop us before we show anyone?" Silas raised an eyebrow. Galileo wagged his finger, tutting rapidly and smiling, and at once Azurine realised he was, without a shadow of a doubt, a teacher.

"No, no, tell whoever you want!" he declared. "It won't help."

He raised a hand to the sky, maintaining his smug smirk as he looked at Silas and Azurine. "Don't bother shouting it to the heavens - the Natura installed here stops most sounds from getting too far." he explained calmly. "And I know the atmosphere of Ruben better than anyone, for it was my design!"

Now his arms were spread out, his demeanour somehow becoming even more smug. "So go on, child. Tell them! See if they believe an outsider over an integrated member of their community!" he continued, smirking widely before letting out a mocking laugh. "You have pictures, do you? Are you sure that's legitimate evidence? We live in an age where technology has advanced to the point where you could generate just about anything, you know!"

"We can prove it..." Azurine said weakly, balling her hands into fists. "Just watch us..."

"Go ahead! Let's see how you explain to everyone just why you broke into the house of poor little geography teacher Grant Monarich." he said, not letting up on the taunting. "I'm sure everyone will trust you just fine! Sure, my house would be investigated, but never let it be said that I did not know how to conceal!"

"There's gotta be a way, right?" Silas frowned, looking down at Azurine. "I mean, there's no such thing as a perfect plan, right?"

"I concur." Galileo smiled. "I mean, your plan was riddled with holes! Why would you even make such a drastic move on such incomplete information?"

"T-There's still a way to fix this!" Azurine stammered.

"Is there, now?" Galileo raised an eyebrow. "Then I'll just have to silence you before you can put it in place, won't I?"

Azurine and Silas shared a fearful glance before the latter looked past Galileo to see what Jude was doing in all this - after all, he'd been so silent all this time. And he saw him there...looking at his phone? How odd, he thought. He didn't claim to always know what was going through Jude's head, but he decided to trust him here - hopefully, whatever Jude was doing was the 'way to fix this' that Azurine had described - or something of his own. He looked at Galileo again, feeling a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead as the pair tried not to betray their nervousness.

.........

Jude wasn't quite sure if this would work too well, but Galileo seemed to have taken his attention off him. He was too busy gloating to Silas and Azurine to pay him too much notice, and that was for the best. Not sure what his best course of action was, however, he decided now was a better time than any to update Inigo on the situation.

"I come with an update, but the situation is worse than you'd hope. The three of us are in Galileo's backyard, but he has spotted us, and I believe we are at his mercy. He seems to believe so, too, considering how much supervillainous gloating he is engaged in at the moment."

"Surely you planned for this eventuality?"

"Gloating? That's interesting."

"What's he saying?"

"He's talking about how difficult it will be to expose him, and it seems he's correct. He's played the situation so well, he's got a safety net in every direction."

"That could be problematic."

"Unless..."

"What do his emotions look like to you?"

"I fail to understand why you're asking."

"It'll all make sense eventually. Just answer me."

"If this is your plan talking and not your fatal curiosity, then by all means."

"Right now, he seems to be very emotional, but in a good way. He's very proud of himself, and seems to relish the control he's established over this situation. There's a very palpable aura of 'You can't stop me now, you miserable little insects' emanating from him. I'm half-expecting an evil cackle from him any minute now."

"Perfect."

"?"

"If he's proud, it's because he thinks he's won. I know this to be in-character for him."

"Therefore, it's time."

"I do wonder, what can you do when you're all the way over in Arc?"

"This."

Inigo has shared an audio file: Checkmate.WAV

"Play it. And make sure he can hear it."

"What is this?"

"An audio file. Just trust me."

"And brace yourself."

Well, that certainly wasn't needlessly ominous. But Inigo seemed confident that this would work, whereas Galileo seemed confident in his own victory. Whoever was right would be determined by this.

.........

Galileo observed the silence permeating the area, peering down at Silas and Azurine with a smile. It was funny, seeing them struggle and fight against their own fear. But alas, their time together seemed to be coming to an end. Galileo knew one thing that he suspected they were beginning to find out now - that he had won, and they had lost.

"You two seem like bright, passionate young souls." he said, the gleam in his eyes becoming almost sadistic, as though he was relishing in their barely-hidden fear. "I'd hate to snuff you out without at least giving you a chance to share your last thoughts."

"Don't think this is over yet!" Azurine said shakily. "Even if they don't believe us, they'll have their doubts! We'll only be the start, and then people will realise that we were right!"

"Yes, this is all well and good, but that just makes me want to kill you even more now." Galileo raised an eyebrow. "So, if we can get on with it..."

"Before you do that, Grant," Jude spoke up, stepping closer to the commotion while holding his phone up, albeit still facing the screen. "I've got something that you may want to hear."

Galileo turned around to look at Jude, eyeing him with puzzlement before looking at the phone in his hand. He couldn't see what was on the screen, but he immediately got a bad feeling about this. "Let me guess, you've been recording this, haven't you?"

"I haven't recorded a thing, worry not." Jude replied, looking at his phone screen and shaking his head as he made sure the volume was up at the maximum value. "To be honest, I don't know what this is going to do, but...I might as well give it a try."

And at that, he pressed play, everyone listening as the recording from Jude's phone began with a clearing of the throat. And then came the voice, one familiar to everyone standing in the yard; "Hey, Grant. Remember me?"

https://youtu.be/eZp6TSMW7i4

"I beg your pardon?" Galileo spoke up almost instantly, visibly shaken by the sound of that voice. After hearing Azurine's lack of knowledge, he was sure this was just one of Libera's other enemies, but now, this? But the voice wasn't done talking.

"I doubt you'll be forgetting anytime soon. I'm the Red Joker, and this is my game." Inigo's voice continued, and at that, Silas and Azurine gasped in surprise.

"Wait, so when he asked about the 'Red Joker-" Silas began.

"He was talking about Inigo?" Azurine finished his sentence for him, mouth hanging open in surprise. Did he know this would happen?

"If you're listening to this, that probably means the other players are here, too." Inigo said, his voice remaining calm and collected the entire time, which Jude found to be a stark contrast to Grant's seething rage, his hands tightening into fists. "So listen up - I've got your win conditions right here. And please, refrain from destroying the phone until I'm done."

Galileo growled, staring at the phone and deciding to wait until he knew exactly what his hated nemesis was up to. As for Azurine and Silas, they both couldn't help but feel a little conflicted - Inigo had pulled through for them, and it seemed like he was intent on helping them out here, but they couldn't shake the feeling that he had intentionally put them all in danger.

"Jude, I'm assuming you've successfully gathered your proof. You know what Grant is up to, and you know it's nothing good. So, tell people. Make them see. The truth must get out there." Inigo continued. "Azurine, Silas, you need to stop him from hiding the facts at all costs."

"Like I'll go down to the two of-"

"And before you go ham on killing them, Grant, I'll remind you that I'm the one you want." Inigo said, and at once Grant began to ponder, gritting his teeth as he contemplated what to do. "I know you're in Ruben, so I'm there, too. And I'll stay there as long as I need to to take down your operation once and for all. Because as a soon-to-be outplayed geography teacher once told me, 'a cat in gloves catches no mice'."

"Oh, you're not going to get away with this, you filthy rat!" Grant snarled, his hands becoming wreathed in white flames as if he was ready to hurt anyone in the room. But Inigo, having recorded this ahead of time, did not respond to his anger, staying cool as the last words of his recording played:

"Good luck, all of you - and let the games begin."

The recording finished, and everyone remained still and silent, as if trying to work out what to do in light of this information. Though, seeing Grant's hands still covered in flames, Jude quickly stashed his phone away to avoid getting it damaged. But Grant didn't seem focused on him, instead shaking his head and looking down to the ground, his expression positively dead as he broke the silence with a mirthless chuckle.

"So...this whole thing...from the very start...it was your brainchild..." he murmured, slowly turning towards the back door. "Past Jude...past this small, blue child and her yellow guardian...I ought to have been looking at YOU!"

He ignored the others, putting out the flames on his hands as he pushed the door open, shaking his head again. "That's an impressive brain you've got there, Red Joker..." he murmured, slamming the door shut and walking further into his house, ready to notify his men of their mission. "I wonder how much it would sell for..."

He went to do that, leaving Azurine, Silas and Jude alone in the garden, shocked about what had happened and looking at one another. Silas spoke up first, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his head. "Uh...what just happened?"

"It would appear that the plan...was not what we thought it was." Jude replied, looking back at his two friends. "I'm surprised, to be honest."

"What the hell was he thinking?" Azurine yelled. "That it's okay to put our lives on the line while he gets to go on a date?"

"Azurine, calm down! I agree that he should've been more transparent with us, but he did explain why he did that." Silas pointed out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And whether or not you like the situation, it doesn't change the fact that we're in it. That man is going to look everywhere for Inigo, and we're the ones who can stop him."

"But Inigo said he's in Ruben...even though he's not." Azurine frowned, taking a deep breath. "So, then...that was his true plan all along?"

"Oh? Share your discovery." Jude looked at her with a calm smile.

"He wanted to free Ruben! Not just by gathering evidence and showing it - he wanted to expose Grant as the menace!" Azurine exclaimed. "And now he's made his move, it'll be much easier to do that!"

"If that's the case, then we can't let him down." Silas noted. "Which means we need to get on the move!"

"I wouldn't advise doing so without a plan." Jude shook his head slowly. "This is a dangerous man, after all."

"Then here's what we're going to do." Azurine said, beckoning Jude to come closer as the three of them put their heads together, formulating a plan to expose and defeat Grant completely.

.........

Grant's movements were frantic, wild as he stormed up the stairs in a huff, heading towards his office and hastily unlocking the door. The scent of catnip was still lingering in the air, but he didn't care for that one bit, instead going back to his desk and opening a drawer. He reached into it, pulling out a small microphone and a large red button and slamming his palm onto it, setting off an alarm as blaring red lights flashed on and off throughout the entire household.

"Attention!" he yelled into the microphone, broadcasting his voice everywhere. Giving his allies a moment to stop what they were doing, he continued. "We have intruders, and they work for the Red Joker! I want you to stop them - and those of you who can, disperse and find where in this town that rat is hiding! We will be rid of this filth once and for all!"

From there, he put the mic away, shutting it off completely before sitting at his desk, waiting for the siren to stop droning before pulling out his phone, opening a contact and calling them. He waited for a few seconds before the person on the other end picked up the line.

"We meet again, Galileo. Do you have further need of my services?"

"Why yes, I do, Ravener. Call it a mutually-beneficial favour." Grant responded, putting on a veneer of calmness. "That Red Joker you're so obsessed with has returned. I need you to teleport over to Ruben. Surely, you'd like another chance to kill him?"

"Haha! You know me so well!" the Ravener responded. "Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be right there!"

"Of course. I'm aware that crows are rather fond of rodents." Grant said. "We need to find and kill him. I hope you won't let me down."

"Heh, as the crow flies. If he's in Ruben, then he's my prey."

At that, the phone line went off, and Grant, done with his work in his office, walked out, feeling a great wrathful flame simmering inside him. But there was nothing to worry about - he would be sated soon enough. Sometime after he finished dealing with the blue rat in front of him.

He stood at the top of the staircase, with Azurine at the bottom, staring up at him with a determined glare.