[Pastor Ramsey steps onto the stage now, a big grin on his face as the people of Zion cheer him on.]
“I tell you the truth, brethren…I have seen the healing power of this most holy water. I have felt its cleansing power, washing over me like the love of Zion himself.”
[This quickly riles the crowd of believers, who holler in appreciation as the Apostle continues.]
“For I was a man lost, wandering aimlessly through Arcadia trying to find my way…and Zion called me to this very place, to where his purifying love awaited.”
[He points to the baptismal pool, the water starting to settle down after the act of cleansing as Colt continues.]
“And it was here where I found what I was looking for…the truth. That truth, my brethren? That only Zion can heal you from the inside out, reshaping you in his image once more. Others will try to sell you on a lie, promising a pool of their own from which to bathe…but the water is far murkier, far filthier than those who step inside.”
[This gets the group jeering, recognizing the type of liar Pastor Ramsey is referring to.]
“Liars who would promise to show one’s true potential, if you just venture on an odyssey…yet the first man to embark on such a journey found himself victim to the very lie he was told! Tell me, Felix Foley…when your so-called friend Doom offered you such a path, what did you find at the destination?”
DARKNESS!
[The shout from the crowd garners a nod from the Acolyte.]
“Darkness. The story goes that what came out of that pool was something darker, something filthier than what went in…Felix’s curse, manifested in a terrible form.”
[Another round of boos from the believers, garnering a nod of agreement from Colt.]
“Even coming back around from it, it’s evident that the sin still resides within, a sin that cannot be washed away by the Odyssey Pool…but it can be redeemed here, in the First Church of Zion.”
[The group cheers in response, eager to welcome someone new.]
“Here we have an opportunity for you to truly be clean, to be free of the strings that pull the Puppeteer. Doom does not have to be in control of your life, should you come to this house with the proper penance…the OSW Tag Team Championship, to wash your sin away.”
WASH YOUR SIN AWAY!
[This really gets the crowd moving as Colt continues.]
“Bring those titles and your cares to this house, and let Zion wash his love over you…a love that not even Doom can give you. Zion’s people will welcome you with open arms as you step into this healing water, so long as you allow the Reverend and his Pastor to lift the burden of being champion off your shoulders. It’s a burden we are willing to take on, for the glory of Zion. Praise be!”
PRAISE BE TO ZION!
[Colt bows before the applauding crowd before him.]