Shading his eyes, Doul stood briefly surveyed the land before him, taking in the sight and trying to match it to anything he'd seen or heard of before. He would know the Scar from a thousand miles away and surely he would be able to feel the Cacotopic Stain leeching his mind away and twisting his body? Perhaps he is further still, trapped somehow beyond Nova Esperium and into the lost lands of Bered Kai Nev. He wonders if when they enter the desert, the ground will be littered with gearships and the chitinous heads of dead khepri women or if the sun and sand have already ground them back into dust.

Since his awakening in the cave, Doul (now Downing) has kept quiet and to himself. There was no great gap between his rising and being pushed out into the desert. They have been armed and while these godspit bastards saw fit to take his engine and sword, he feels confident enough that if the guards did not lie, at least a portion of their team will make it to their destination.