As I walk up to the edge of the scaffolding a wall of cold, putrid air hits me straight in the face. I had convinced myself that there existed no worse stench than that which I was forced to endure in the Depths before, but I was sorely mistaken. The smell penetrates through my leather mask as if it isn't even there. I instinctively step back as I choke the fowl air out of my lungs. I take a few more steps back until my leg bumps into a soft, leathery mass. I jolt around as I grab the hilt of my sword, instantly cursing myself for my carelessness. If there's one thing that I've learned since becoming afflicted with the undead curse, it's that you can never let your guard down. As I draw my sword I realize that I had just stepped on the body of one of the undead that I had killed moments ago. Its discolored skin and bloated body, along with its horrendous smell, makes me wonder how it had managed to move around without falling apart before. I look up at the walkway that I came from. The bodies of various disfigured undead are strewn across the rotting floor. I have not seen undead quite like them before. I walk back towards the edge of the scaffolding, this time bracing myself for the smell. The sight before me makes my heart drop in my boots.
A large, cavern-like expanse lay before me. From where I'm standing I can see that the bottom of this place must be several dozens of meters below. I can barely make out the bottom through the murky air, but it looks like a swamp of sorts awaits me there. Sprawled out in front of me, on various different levels of elevation, are a plethora of twisted bridges and rickety scaffolding. The scaffolding seems to go down all the way to the bottom and is likely the only way to get all the way down. Instead of several pieces of scaffolding the whole thing seems like one large wooden edifice. I can vaguely see humanoid figures moving in the dim torchlight littering the structure. The whole thing looks like it could collapse at any moment and traversing it will surely be suicidal. This must be Blighttown. That apathetic fellow at Firelink Shrine mentioned this place. "The other bell is back down below the Undead Burg, within the plague-infested Blighttown," he had said. I am unsure why I've so willingly followed his directions up to this point, as it's landed me in nothing but trouble. I fought my way through an Undead-infested town, battling a giant bull-demon and two sword-shattering gargoyles to ring the first bell. Then, as per his advice, I trudged through the rat-infested Depths to get here. Seeing as there's no obvious bell in sight I'm convinced that I'm going to have to traverse the wooden deathtrap in front of me until I get to the bottom.
I carefully climb down a short ladder in front of me onto the first of many small platforms that make up the structure. It's not long before the first undead comes charging at me. The wood beneath my feet trembles as the hulking creature comes towards me at a surprising speed. I grasp the hilt of my sword tightly, holding it in front of my chest with both hands. The creature suddenly lunges forward at me, leaping through the air with inhuman agility. Like some of the other creatures I fought when coming into the area it uses what appears to be part of a human corpse as a makeshift club. I roll forward just as it brings its club down and it crashes into the spot I was standing on. As I get up a plank gives way under my right foot and I just barely manage to keep myself from toppling over the edge. I realize just how close I came to rolling over the side. The creature has already spun around and stares at me menacingly. Normally an enemy like this wouldn't intimidate me too much. It's not very smart and easy to predict. A simple roll would normally land me right behind the creature, opening up an opportunity for a backstab that would almost certainly finish it off in an instant. But here, on this rotting wooden structure, my mobility is severely limited and even this lowly undead has become a serious threat. I suddenly feel very vulnerable, considering I have no shield or other means of protection save for my sword. The creature lifts its club in the air, but this time I lunge forward at it before it can attack. Three quick slices across its chest causes it to drop down to its knees. I drive my sword through its throat and it drops to the ground, writhing and gargling for a few moments before I push it over the edge of the platform with my boot.
I continue along the scaffolding with my sword drawn, nervously eyeing every plank I step on while keeping an eye on my surroundings. I stop every few steps to look behind me, not wanting anything to sneak up on me. The next undead still manages to surprise me though. It jumps down from a higher level and lands with a loud crack, shattering a plank beneath it, but it doesn't fall all the way through. It immediately rears up like the one before it did and I instinctively know that it's going to lunge at me. Instead of rolling away I fall flat on my stomach as the creature comes flying through the air. As I had hoped, it completely overextends itself and flies over the edge of the platform. I get up just in time to see the undead creature plummet to its death. A faint splashing sound confirms that some sort of swamp likely lies at the bottom of this place. I resume my cumbersome traversal, having set my sights on a much more solid-looking platform a few yards away. It appears to be part of a large support structure consisting of several interlinking columns. The columns go all the way up to the ceiling, likely holding up a part of the Depths. The platform, like the columns, seems to be made of a sturdy material, which will be a welcome relief from the frail wood that I'm walking on. While I focus on the masonry in front of me I almost get caught off guard by another undead on my right. I just barely catch a glimmer of steel in the corner of my eye and instantly go down on my haunches. As anticipated the creature lunges at me, but I can see that this one is going to make contact. I desperately roll over in the direction of the creature, hoping to roll underneath it, but it lands with a knee on my ribs, nearly knocking the wind out of my lungs. The broken piece of sword in its hands lands right where I was standing. I grimace at the pain in my ribs, but I manage to grab its leg and roll towards it. I push the thing's leg as I roll, flipping it over the edge. I get up and test my ribs with a prodding finger. It doesn't feel like anything's broken.
To my surprise I find a bonfire on the bridge-like platform interlinking two huge columns. Barely burning as intense as a handful of candles, its feint heat nonetheless provides a great deal of comfort in this cold and murky place. I take a moment to sit down next to the fire and rest. Besides providing a bit of comfort, these mysterious fires also exhibit powerful healing abilities. As the glow of the fire washes over me I can feel the pain dissipate from my ribs until there is nothing left. I untie my jerkin and lift up my undershirt to look at the area where the undead landed on me. There's not a bruise in sight. Satisfied, I pick myself up and retie my jerkin. As I walk away from the fire, the bitter cold air once again cradles my skin, cutting through my leather garments as if they were nothing. I can see that the scaffolding continues for quite some distance, however, I can make out a path that seems to be going towards the bottom. I walk up to the edge of the platform, where a ladder goes down to a level of scaffolding below. I slowly climb down the ladder, preparing myself for the rest of the journey to the bottom of Blighttown.