Into the Depths

1/29 - 3 Deaths (1 Stupid) / 20 Pushups

I might be getting too good at this game. (This is shortly proven false)

From the Undead Burg bonfire I crossed the bridge and went back down to lower burg. Once again the poison dogs are simple enough with a strong shield, though I think equipping the halberd or winged spear would have been easier to use in the tight space of the stairwell.

I thought the little thief dudes would have been easy but I was caught off-guard by a parry and next thing I knew he was on my back slicing my throat. This was a new experience for me. I found a boss door but passed it by to see what was beyond. This let me unlock the gate by the aqueduct (I was waiting for that!) and discover the hollow merchant. 

I couldn't proceed further without another key so I figured I'd try the boss door.

I had no sooner stepped through than the Capra Demon (whose name I could barely read because his sword was passing into my face) absolutely destroyed me. I lasted maybe 4 seconds inside the door. 

This... is a dog's butt. Sorry about that.

Resisting the urge to read up on him, I resolved to give it a few more goes unaided.

It only took one.

Blocking and circling, I was able to defeat first the dogs, and when I backed up what I realized was a stairwell over the courtyard without being followed, I knew this was an opportunity. Three plunging attacks was all it took, and I only used a single flask. I later read that he sometimes follows you up the stairs, but I suppose I was lucky. I was so pumped that I started doing pushups anyways! I stopped at 2 though. "No, not too much. We still have a long way to go." Good advice, Bastian. 

Proud of myself, I wandered into The Depths. This one was blind - I'd never read a thing about it. Having stocked up on fire arrows, a temporary curse severed hand thing and a level up, I felt ready to go. All was going well too, I made short work of the weak zombie dudes and even put the butcher to rest with a back-stab. I found a secret passage behind his table and dropped a blue rock to check the depth. It was a safe fall, so I lept.

Cool! Bone piles, dark tunnel, running water, MASSIVE FUCKING RAT!

Something is about to go very wrong

But wait, I had the high ground! You're doomed, rat! I grabbed the above screenshot with F12 then remembered steam Big Picture Mode also allowed screenshots with Home Button (Centre X on the 360 pad) + RT. Unfortunately however, big picture mode was not active. So I slashed. Off the edge. 

The giant rat was actually not that bad; a few fire bombs and some attacks from the Drake and I had him down to 5%. Alas, he knocked me over and finished me off while I was getting up. I was FURIOUS at this personal let-down. He would have been a piece of cake from the cheap safety of the ledge. This is unacceptable behavior (even though it's Steam's fault for trying to teach me a gamepad shortcut).

Hereafter, I am implementing the following rule:

DEATH BY STUPIDITY = 10 Pushups.

This will include falling off cliffs, getting killed by puny enemies and accidentally slashing into rat nests.

At this point I quit for the night. I don't deserve to return. I better get those souls back.