The Art Department Come Back

The conference room was silent except for the voice of the new Operations Director, who'd been with the company for all of three months.

He pointed at the PowerPoint slide projected on the wall, addressing everyone present.

The Art Department is a bunch of leeches. A single character model takes you two weeks while an outside contractor could deliver it in three days.

I looked up and met his gaze.

"Are you sure the quality would pass the investors' review?"

"Quality?" He sneered. "Does Director Black think his work is some priceless art, too precious for anyone else to touch?"

A few sycophantic chuckles echoed in the room.

The CEO rapped the table. "The Art Department's budget is cut in half, effective this month."

I closed my laptop and stood up to leave.

At the door, I paused and glanced back at him over my shoulder.

What he didn't know was that the source files for every hit game this company ever had were in my possession.

Leaning by the window, I pulled out my phone. A message from a recruiter at Celestial Games, sent three days ago, was still sitting in my chat window.

Mr. Black, have you had a chance to consider our offer? The position is yours whenever you're ready.

I didn't reply, putting the phone away.

The elevator doors pinged open, and Chloe Miller stepped out, looking surprised to see me.

I'd trained her myself. Three years ago, she was a fresh grad who could barely use Photoshop.

I didn't blame her for not speaking up for me in the meeting, but I'd long noticed her cozying up to Blake Sterling and his cronies.

"Liam..."

"Yes?"

She bit her lip. "About the meeting earlier, I..."

"It's fine. We all have to look out for ourselves."

I turned back to my office. She stood there, her eyes slightly red.

At 9 PM, the Art Department's group chat blew up.

Blake had sent a new directive: Effective immediately, all overtime meal allowances and taxi reimbursements for the Art Department are cancelled.

Liu sent a question mark.

Mr. Sterling, we often work until eleven or midnight. This is...

Blake replied instantly.

The company doesn't carry dead weight. If you have a problem with it, you're free to leave.

The chat went dead silent.

I stared at my phone screen, opened my notes app, and jotted down the date with a screenshot of the message.

That was number seven.

The next morning, Chloe knocked on my office door.

"Liam, Blake... Mr. Sterling wants me to take over the character design for Shadow Blade."

I looked up at her.

Shadow Blade was the company's new 30-million-dollar project.

The protagonist design was something I'd poured a month of my life into.

"He said the original art is too dark. The investors don't like it. He wants me to redesign it with a... brighter, cleaner style."

She finished, unable to meet my eyes.

"Fine. Do it."

She clearly hadn't expected me to agree so easily. She just stood there, stunned for a couple of seconds.

"And the original files..."

"They're on the company server. Find them yourself."

I went back to staring at my computer screen. She hovered for a moment, then left.

What she didn't know was that the files on the server were all exported versions.

The real source fileswith all the layers, layer groups, and smart objectswere on my external hard drive.

Without the source files, you couldn't modify a thing let alone adjust the colors.

At noon, I went down to the convenience store to grab lunch.

Right outside the building, I saw Blake Sterling and David smoking.

"That Liam Black is so full of himself. Thinks his seniority means he can look down on everyone," Blake said, flicking ash.

"Don't worry. I'll deal with him. Have him crawling out of here on his own within three months."

David chuckled. "Way to go, Mr. Sterling. Someone needs to put that old guard in their place."

I stood just inside the door, silent.

I headed back upstairs. The elevator was empty.

My phone vibrated. A message from Chloe.

Liam, the files won't open. It says layers are missing...

I typed back two words.

That's normal.

She replied instantly.

What do I do? Blake wants to see the first draft tomorrow.

I didn't reply. I just slipped the phone back into my pocket.

The elevator doors opened. I walked back to my office and shut the door.

I opened my desk drawer and took out a black external hard drive.

A label on it read: Shadow Blade - Complete Asset Backup.

Next to it were two other drives: Stellar Trace and Abyss Hunter.

These three games had earned the company over two hundred million.

Every core character, every scene, every UI element was designed by me.

And I had a backup of every single source file.

I locked the drive back in the drawer and leaned back in my chair.

The sky outside the window was overcast.

At 7 PM, the department chat exploded again.

Chloe sent a message.

Everyone, moving forward, all art assets need to be approved by Director Sterling first.

Please do not go to Director Black anymore.

Immediately, Blake @'ed everyone in the group.

Starting tomorrow, upload all art files to the new shared folder.

Liam Black's administrative permissions have been revoked.

Liu asked in the chat.

What about the existing assets?

Blake replied.

Liam will cooperate with the handover, right? @Liam Black

I looked at my phone and typed.

Fine.

After sending that single word, I left the group chat.

My phone buzzed again. A private message from Chloe.

Liam, I'm so sorry...

I didn't reply. I just deleted her contact.

Not out of anger, but because it was unnecessary.

She'd chosen Blake's side. That made her the opposition.

And you don't explain yourself to the opposition.

The next day, when I got to the office, I found the lock on my office door had been changed.

A printed A4 sheet was taped to it: Art Department Reorganization. Liam Black to use conference room temporarily.

Holding a paper cup of water, I headed for the conference room.

I pushed the door open. It was full of storage boxes, a folding table, and a plastic chair.

I set the cup on the table and sat down.

My phone rang. An unknown number.

"Hello, is this Mr. Black? I'm a reporter with Game Sphere magazine. We'd like to interview you about the design philosophy behind Shadow Blade..."

"I'm sorry, I'm no longer responsible for that project."

I hung up. They called again.

"What? Then who is? Our next issue was planning a cover feature on it..."

"You'll have to ask the company's Operations Director, Blake Sterling."

I hung up again and blocked the number.

Ten minutes later, Blake stormed into the conference room.

"Liam! What the hell is your problem! Why did you turn down a press interview!"

I looked up at him. "Didn't you say I was no longer responsible?"

"That's an internal adjustment! Externally, you're still the Art Director!"

"Oh."

I went back to looking at my phone.

Blake's face flushed red with anger.

"Don't push your luck! The company spent thirty million on this project. You dare screw it up, just try!"

I set my phone down and looked at him. "Mr. Sterling, you just said 'internal adjustment'?"

"Yes!"

"Then what exactly are my duties post-adjustment?"

He faltered. "You... you'll provide art support to Chloe Miller."

"I see."

I looked back down.

Blake stood there, speechless for a long moment, and then finally slammed the door on his way out.

The door closed, and his voice carried from the hallway.

"Just you wait. Let's see how long that tough-guy act lasts."

I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.

My phone buzzed again. A message from the Celestial Games HR person.

Mr. Black, we'd like to fly you to Seattle next week to talk. We'll cover flights and hotel.

I looked at the message, thought about it, and replied.

Okay.

After sending it, I opened my notes app.

It listed over a dozen of Blake's "brilliant maneuvers":

Public humiliation in meeting

Cancelled department benefits

Changed office door lock

Revoked admin permissions

Had Chloe take over core project

Each entry had a screenshot, a date, and witnesses.

I locked the notes app and put my phone away.

It started raining outside.

Drops hit the windowpane. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Like a countdown.

At 3 PM, Mr. Thompson summoned me to his office.

He sat in his CEO chair, fingers tapping on the desk.

"Liam, the company needs to cut costs and improve efficiency. I'm sure you understand."

I said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"Blake has an MBA, loads of management experience. You need to cooperate with him more."

"Mhmm."

"The Shadow Blade project is critical. The investors are coming to see the Demo next week. I need you to hand over all the source files to Chloe."

I looked up at Mr. Thompson. "The source files aren't on the company server."

He paused. "Where are they then?"

"On my personal hard drive. According to company policy, employees have the right to keep backup copies of their work."

Mr. Thompson's face darkened. "Liam, what are you trying to say?"

"Just stating the facts."

"Are you threatening me?"

I stood up. "Mr. Thompson, I'm just stating facts."

As I walked out of the office, I heard the sound of a cup shattering against the wall.

In the hallway, David was leaning against the wall, watching me with a smirk.

"Director Black, why make things difficult?"

I ignored him and walked straight to the conference room.

The moment I sat down, my phone started blowing up.

There was a smaller Art Department chat I'd been kicked out of ages ago, but someone was sending me screenshots.

Blake wrote in the group: Liam is just being vindictive. Keeping someone like him is a cancer on the company.

Chloe replied: It's true. He doesn't care about the company at all.

Liu sent a thumbs-up emoji.

Then, Blake added another message: I've already suggested to Mr. Thompson that an employee like this should be fired outright.

The person sending me the screenshots was a kid named Charlie, the youngest intern in the art group.

He sent me a private message: Liam, this is too much.

I replied: It's fine. Keep watching.

At 8 PM, I packed up to leave.

At the company entrance, I saw Blake and a few department heads having dinner together.

Through the restaurant window, I could see him raising a glass, beaming.

"That troublemaker Liam, I'll have him out of here within three months!"

The others raised their glasses in unison.

"Way to go, Mr. Sterling!"

"About time someone put him in his place!"

I stood outside watching for a minute, then left.

On the subway, I opened my notes app and added two more entries.

My phone rang suddenly. A Seattle area code.

"Mr. Black, this is HR from Celestial. Is next Wednesday still good for your visit to Seattle?"

"It is."

"Excellent! Our VP is really looking forward to meeting you. He said the character design for Shadow Blade is the most stunning he's ever seen."

I smiled slightly. "Thank you."

Hanging up, I leaned back in the seat.

The neon lights outside the window flashed by.

Just like this cityglamorous and bright on the surface, but full of schemes underneath.

The next morning, the moment I arrived at the company, I was stopped by security.

"Mr. Black, your keycard has been deactivated."

"Why?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask HR."

I turned towards HR. A notice was posted on their door.

Due to office reconfiguration, Art Department keycard permissions have been reset. For inquiries, contact Director Sterling.

I took a photo and walked away.

I sat down in the coffee shop across the street and sent a message to Charlie.

Keep an eye out. Let me know if anything happens.

You got it, Liam!

Ten minutes later, Charlie messaged.

Liam, Blake is in a meeting. Said they need to reorganize all the art assets, putting Chloe in charge.

I set my coffee cup down. "What else?"

He said you hiding the source files is a breach of professional ethics.

He's asked Mr. Thompson to take disciplinary action against you.

I looked at the screen and typed. Keep going.

A while later, Charlie sent another message.

Chloe says she can just redraw everything from scratch. Says she doesn't need the source files.

I almost laughed.

Redraw it?

I'd gone through thirty-seven iterations for the Shadow Blade protagonist. Over a hundred rough drafts.

Did she think this was some kindergarten coloring book?

At noon, I got an email from HR.

Due to your continued refusal to cooperate with work directives, the company has decided to withhold your performance bonus for this month and issue a formal written warning.

The email was copied to all department heads.

My phone immediately blew up.

Some people sent messages of sympathy. Others sent memes, just watching the drama.

I didn't reply to any of them. I just set all work chats to "Do Not Disturb."

I opened my personal messages. Another one from Celestial HR.

Mr. Black, our VP says we can set you up with your own independent studio.

You can build your own team.

I stared at that message for a long time.

Finally, I replied: Okay. See you Wednesday.