WHO ENDURES NOW?

There are three kinds of people in this world. The first are those adept at survival like the Revenants. The second are those who fall at the first hurdle, rendered useless at any sign of a challenge. Those who fall are worthless, weak beings: Never Dead Dan, King Royal, Ethan Rose – hundreds of others who fell long before now.

Those who pass the first hurdle must keep leaping, their stamina pushed to the limits with each new challenge they face. But to survive in this world, you must keep trying.

The third kind are those who clear a few obstacles but do not have the resilience to complete their task. Fortunately for us, the world is full of failures who cannot survive. Full of failures like Mike Lane, who chose to leave this world at his own hand rather than face the obstacles in his way. The coward’s way out. And now, the Revenants grow stronger, the Founding Fathers grow weaker, and despite Mike’s sacrifice, the end of the world is still approaching fast.

Mike Lane could not survive, and the Shadow no longer endures.

And when all is said and done, survival is just endurance by another name.

Endurance, rather than clearing obstacles, is about weathering a storm, taking the suffering and finding a way to cope with it. Live with it. Use it to your advantage. Endurance is taking a beating and coming back stronger. The Shadow took a knife to the throat and could not endure. I took a knife to the throat, and here I am, stronger than ever. Enduring. I took my punishment, and I found a way to keep going, more powerful than I was.

Now, I serve my King, so he can endure. He must endure. He will endure the mayhem at VHS 141. Helios endures, an eternal flame, inextinguishable and uninterruptible in his quest. Isaac endures, still curing the ailments of the failures around him after all this time.

We endure, and most of all, the Virus still endures. It lives through us, it’s focus unbroken, it’s mission clear as day. Through sheer willpower, the Virus became stronger than it was. And the Tap Room will fall again.

Solomon Rhodes, Brent Kersh, Sharkman, El Trebol Jr – although you avoid the category of people who fall at the first hurdle, you do not have what it takes to join us in the first category. The third category is where you belong, just waiting for the right obstacle to trip you up. That obstacle has arrived.

This week you must fall too, just like the temple you try so hard to protect. You have fought long, and some would say valiantly – but you cannot endure this. After all, endurance is about standing the test of time. And my test is far to difficult for you to withstand.

You will be forced down on your knees, begging for mercy as the darkness swallows you whole. There is nothing you can do to stop this. It’s all just a matter of time.