The Goblins & Guillotines office hummed with activity as the team threw themselves into preparations for the next big event. Jess moved quickly between the meeting room and her desk, her phone in hand as she coordinated schedules for the upcoming tournament. Logan sat at his computer, drafting up the social media campaigns that would drum up excitement for the game and the new collaboration. Nettie, as always, was knee-deep in creative work, adjusting lighting on a new prototype for a merch item she thought might be the next big seller.

Bryn was sprawled across the floor, surrounded by pages of lore drafts, her brain buzzing with new ideas for the expansion. Every so often, she’d call out a suggestion, and the team would offer their thoughts.

“Can we make LeapingLizard responsible for Nyxara’s chaos factor?” Bryn asked, holding up a scribbled note.

“Aren't you the agent of chaos here?” Nettie laughed from across the room, sketching designs for new t-shirts featuring the game's characters.

"No, I'm your agent of chaos." Bryn frowned as Nettie mouthed an inaudible Oh.

Owen leaned against the doorway, tapping his fingers on the frame. His phone sat on the edge of his desk, a reminder of the reply he’d been waiting for all day. Every few minutes, his eyes darted back to it.

“You’re like a kid waiting for Santa,” Jess teased, glancing up from her color-coded spreadsheet.

Owen rolled his eyes but couldn’t fight the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Cayden’s thinking it over. That’s good, right?”

“Better than a flat-out no,” Bryn said, holding up a doodle of what appeared to be a goblin with an absurdly oversized quill. “Now stop pacing like a goblin with an overdue loan.”

The banter didn’t ease Owen’s nerves. He’d pitched collaborations before, but this one felt different. Maybe it was because he’d always admired Cayden’s work—his knack for storytelling, his ability to immerse players in any game he touched. Owen wasn’t just bringing on a collaborator; he was inviting someone he considered an artist into a world he cared deeply about.

When his phone buzzed, Owen snatched it up so quickly he nearly dropped it. The message was short, cautious.

LeapingLizard: Okay. I’ll do it. But... I’ll need some help with all the public-facing stuff.

Owen read the message twice, then again for good measure. A grin split his face.

“He’s in!” he announced.

The team collectively whooped, and Bryn clapped her hands like a delighted goblin matron. “Oh, we are going to make magic with this!”

Nettie smirked. “Or chaos. Probably chaos.”

Jess didn’t look up from her laptop. “Add it to the agenda. Chaos at 3:00.”

“So,” Owen began, gesturing to the whiteboard where rough ideas for the Nyxara expansion were scrawled. “LeapingLizard's involvement is going to center around a new event. Something that brings his storytelling and gameplay skills into focus.”

“I’ve got it,” Bryn said, scribbling furiously in her notebook. “What if we make him the unexpected mastermind behind Nyxara’s chaos? A reluctant villain with a heart of gold?”

Owen nodded thoughtfully, his fingers tapping the edge of his chair. “Cayden’s always had a way of pulling players into his stories. He doesn’t just tell you a narrative; he makes you feel like you’re shaping it. We need to capture that—make the chaos meaningful, not just random.”

Nettie leaned forward, intrigued. “So the chaos isn’t just destruction for its own sake. It’s about creating choices that force players to make hard decisions.”

“Exactly,” Owen said, a spark of excitement in his voice. “Something that feels unpredictable but still cohesive—like a story unfolding one roll at a time.”

Bryn grinned, her pencil flying across the page. “Oh, I’m loving this. The kind of chaos where you’re laughing one second and clutching your dice the next. Perfect.”

The group bounced ideas around, each one building on the last. Nettie suggested tying the collaboration to an in-game tournament that mirrored the real-world competition where Owen and Cayden had met. Jess proposed a series of interactive livestreams to engage the fans.

Owen took it all in, his mind racing. It was exciting, overwhelming, and maybe just a little terrifying. He had no idea what it would be like to work with Cayden—especially since the younger man seemed so hesitant—but the potential was undeniable.

As the office fell quiet and the last of his team headed home, Owen leaned back in his chair, staring at the soft glow of his phone screen.

He tapped the desk rhythmically, rereading Cayden’s reply. There was relief in those words, sure, but also a trace of doubt.

“Take your time,” Owen had messaged back. “Let me know what you need. And send over your schedule so you can visit headquarters. We’ve got your back.”

It wasn’t just about making a great expansion or adding to the game’s lore. It was about bringing someone he admired—someone whose work had shaped the way he thought about games—into a world where they could create something remarkable together.

And maybe this collaboration could give Cayden the confidence to step out of the shadows again.