Swamped

"We could dangle the stone out of the wagon," Starling suggests. "Just, tie it to your mudpike? Shove it out, um, the door I guess. Not a lot of windows in here."

"It's not a very big stone," Pubert says. "Don't know if they'd see it."

"What about if we drew a picture of it?" you say. "Then we could make it as big as we need. I see a big sheet over there, we just need something to draw with..."

"I didn't find any paint, but there's charcoal," Yvonne says. "Just don't expect it to be very colorful."

"All right, who can doodle up something fast?" Corvus asks. "Draw, I don't know, a hammer striking the stone. Big as you can make it."

"I'll do it," Rivers says. "Get me the charcoal."

Yvonne grabs the charcoal, Corvus starts tying the mudpikes together, and you and Starling help to hold the sheet down as Rivers draws it, with Pubert grudgingly describing the lodestone in enough detail. It's a tense few minutes, as several more bolts strike the wagon, but it's soon finished.

You think it looks rather good for how rushed it is, but this probably isn't the time for compliments. Corvus quickly ties it on the end of the pikes, opens the door, stands back and shoves the flag out, the drawing facing towards the back.

A few more bolts strike, then they stop.

Then one more strikes the flag. This one has paper attached; Corvus pulls the mudpikes in and takes a look.

"It says 'stop the wagon and we'll talk,' but I don't think anyone's going to blame me for being skeptical," Corvus says. "Still, I guess I can tell Rider about this and let him make the call."

He goes back to the front of the wagon. You suppose you'll have to wait to see what happens. At least they seem to have stopped firing.

You're now Corvus.

"Got a message for you, sir," you say to Rider. "We, um, convinced them to stop firing, and they're offering to negotiate, but they want us to stop the wagon first."

"I see."

"Um, and there's a crossbow bolt in your arm."

"I'm aware."

"So, ah, what do you think about the message? Should we take them at their word?"

"I'd like to hear your opinion first."

Oh hells, he's pushing this off on you? Is he giving you one of his tests now, of all times?

What are you going to say?