VICTORY ACHIEVED!

5/5 - 4 Deaths / 20 Push-ups

Gwyn is down!

Crossing the Kiln (since I've done it 28 times) was easy enough, but I was still witness to at least one moment of classic Dark Souls despair.

STILL getting trolled by the Black Knights

I was close to going back to trying to parry his attacks but saw something impressive when comparing the stability values of shields. One choice stood out as having a very high stability - one thing Gwyn was able to best me against.

On your knees, for thou art vanquished.

In this case, the key to victory turned out to be the Greatshield of Artorias and the Wolf Ring. The amazing stability of the shield plus the poise of the ring allowed me to finally stand up to his attacks and be able to develop a strategy against him.

It was a grueling battle nonetheless, with a many close calls and both good AND bad luck moments. His four slash combos, burning my flesh even with a shield raised, his incredible reach, his ridiculous speed...

I cheered a victory unlike any other when he went down. It was finally complete...

Victory Achieved!

I beat Dark Souls.

Praise the Sun!

Linking the fires...

New Game + didn't take long to kick in. There was no real denouement, no telling me about my choice and the consequences of it. Did I have an alternative to lighting that final bonfire? I noticed that the fog gate was gone...

All of a sudden I'm reminded of the 'Gunslinger' novels by Stephen King.

Fear not brother; I AM the chosen one.

It felt good taking down the Asylum Demon on his first appearance.

Hello up there. I'm back, but I'm NOT the same.

One of the best scenes in the game.

Well look at that; I'm back at Firelink. Perhaps I should do some exploring...