Previously on Dark Souls: Morgan fought a big ol’ knight and eventually won. Then she fought a big ol’ dragon that killed her over and over.
The last battle with the Gaping Dragon had left all of my equipment in dire need of repair. My Drake Sword was even broken to the point of uselessness, and I was going to have to grind a whole lotta souls to afford to fix everything up proper. I began running around, killing all the slimes and rats that I could find, cursing myself for not having been able to avoid to dragon barf.
After the soul-harvesting was done, I returned to the bonfire only to discover that I’d not purchased an ACME Home Weapon Repair Kit. Whoops. And that’s how I ended up running all the way back to that stupid merchant up in the Undead Burg.
Finally, once all the running around was done and my equipment was back in tip-top condition, I lurched back into the Gaping Dragon’s domain, where I was killed yet again. You Died. Only this time, I wasn’t able to find my bloodstain and recover all the souls and humanity that it was holding onto for me. This was the point where I was about ready to throw up my hands and move onto a different game. But I decided to have one last crack at it before giving up forever. Again.
I downed another canned humanity and turned myself human so that I could summon Solaire again. He hadn’t been any help at all last time, but I figured that even if he died quickly again, he would be a distraction long enough for me to deal some meaningful damage to the dragon. It didn’t work out quite so smoothly, but luck was in my favour that day.
The dragon did immediately beeline for Solaire, and I used that opportunity to hack away at its legs, cleaving off a nice portion of the monster’s HP. It took notice of that though, and turned its attention on me. I focused on evading the dragon’s attacks while Solaire hurled javelins of light at it. Things were going well until I noticed the dragon lurch back and start to hack up something from deep inside of it. The corrosive vomit was coming, and I suddenly realized that I’d gotten myself pinned against a wall. If I was bathed in dragon bile again, it’d be the end for me, regardless of how well the fight was going otherwise.
I took off as fast as I could as the dragon started to spew, and I could feel the heat of its vomit on my back even before the sickening smell of it caught up with me. I jumped and dove as the wave splashed at my heels, and let out a sigh of relief as I watched the disgusting pool stop expanding just short of me. The dragon had already refocused on Solaire, and I clambered to my feet as quickly as I could to back him up.
I was too late though, and I watched Solaire’s phantom disappear in a flash of light. The loss didn’t hit me like last time though, and I steeled myself for the final assault. As the dragon charged at me, I rolled under its massive belly and got up behind it before it realized where I was. I spinted at it and sliced one of its rear legs with all my might. The creature bellowed, and I followed up with a flurry of stabs to its abdomen. The dragon turned to face me, and I quickly rolled away as it came crashing down in an attempt to crush me into its maw.
Stunned from the impact with the ground, the dragon was slow to recover, and I took the opportunity to finish it. I leapt at the beast and plunged my sword into its tiny skull, and the monster immediately flopped to the ground before evaporating in a haze of dust and light. I collapsed and laid there for a few moments, catching my breath and finding it hard to believe that I’d slain such a fierce creature.
I stood up and noticed an object on the ground in front of me, glimmering in the light coming in through the ceiling. It was a key. Did the Gaping Dragon drop this, or had it been there the whole time and I just failed to notice it in the heat of battle? Regardless of its origin, my immediate thought was that it probably unlocked the huge iron gate that was blocking my descent even farther into the Depths.
Key in hand, I returned to the gate and was a little surprised at my luck when it turned in the lock. The gate opened into a large cylindrical chamber, with a narrow path outlining a deep, dark hole. Needless to say, I returned to the bonfire before descending into the unknown.
I slid down the ladder leading down into the pit, Perhaps a little too eager to continue on my adventure. It came to an end on a rickety bridge across the pit that was little more than scaffolding with some shabby planks laid over it. I hopped down to a lower level, and before I could take two steps, a huge undead came shambling out of the dark tunnel. This undead was fat as all get out, and at least a head taller than me. He carried a spiked club that was almost as big as he was, which he proceeded to slam down in front of me. The bridge shook and I immediately ran for the ladder. The barbarian was big and stong, but he was stupid; he charged at me and tumbled right off the edge of the bridge, plummeting into the void below.
A second barbarian was waiting a little farther into the tunnel, and while I toyed with the idea of tricking him off the edge as well, I decided to engage in combat, as I’d need to learn how to fight them eventually. The barbarians fought a lot like Havel, what with the oversized clubs and all, but they aren’t quite as dangerous. I was able to block most of their attacks without taking HP damage.
I was a little too focused on the barbarian though, and during the struggle, didn’t even notice that a ghoul was standing off in the distance and sniping at me with a poisonous blowdart gun. It wasn’t untilI was overcome with a sickly feeling that I realized that I’d been toxified by the tiny darts. My life was draining quickly, and I started running for the bonfire. I was halfway up the ladder when everything went black. I felt my hands slip away from the ladder’s rungs and then I didn’t feel anything anymore. You Died.
Tune in next week for Part 14: Don’t You Just Love Poison?