To whomever I dueled in the catacombs: (xbone character Lutra the Exile)

I need to say first that DS3 is my first Souls game I've played at launch. I came to DS1 and 2 roughly a year after 2 was release. So my experience with PvP has been very limited. What follows is my letter to my greatest rival I have ever faced.

I had just defeated the Abyss Watchers and descended to the catacombs below. After clearing the bridge, I was invaded by you, an uchigatana wielding Bloodbro. I'd already wasted some Estus on the skellingtons, and didn't want to fight on the bridge, so I returned to the entrance platform and waited.

As I saw you reach the far end of the bridge, I waved, and you gestured back. What followed was the most intense fight I have ever had in a souls game. You rolled through my claymore slashes and stabs, and I tried to bait a mistimed lunge from you.

We both healed when necessary, and I have to say, I'm now terrified of the jumping uchi-stab. You hit me with that too many times. But eventually, we both ran out of flasks, and I thought you were going to run deep into the crypt, but for some reason, you stopped at the near end of the bridge.

I waved again, content to let you retreat. We'd had a marvelous duel, and I didn't want the memory sullied by getting surrounded by skeletons. But you didn't retreat. We stood there for a few tense moments before you started to jog back, ready to finish our fight.

But I had a sneaky plan. I always keep throwing knives handy to pull singular foes in pve, and I thought I could surprise you with one. Little did I know you had a sneaky plan of your own. As we both let loose with a single throwing knife at the same time, I burst out laughing and nearly spilled my drink.

Low on health and dry on flasks, we fought on, but I had more health. A lucky poke caught you after a miss, and you only had a sliver of health left. I knew it would be hard to get that last hit with my sword, I'd already shown you every trick I knew. So instead, I learned a new one.

After I tanked a slash on my shield, I saw you roll away, and that's when I hit x. The firebomb caught you right after your roll and I jumped out of my lumpy couch and probably startled my neighbors. I bowed in reverence to you, my fallen foe, and you faded from my world.

I will never forget our contest. Don't you dare go hollow.