I finally get around playing Demon's Souls: Part 3

THIS TIME ON THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF DEMON'S SOULS:
I'M A CHEAP BASTARD AND I DON'T CARE
Having checked my stores of dank healing grass and found them low I decided to make a run through 1-1 to gather up some more. Gotta love those guaranteed half-moon grass drops from the Blue Eye Knights. I also bested the Red Eye Knight again (turns out he does respawn). This time I achieved victory by luring him into the empty room just before his little landing to do battle. He was so confused by the absolute mad man using a halberd indoors that he was swiftly hit repeatedly until he stopped moving. (I don't know if that sentence is grammatically correct and I'm not changing it either way.) Then I went and found a certain fellow of noble bearing that I'd missed along with a fair amount of items. Thief's Ring Hoooooo!. I also chopped down the Hoplites and received a bounty of upgrade shards.
Returning to the Nexus I upgraded my halberd to +5 and nabbed a couple more levels. Feeling big and strong I made the 1-2 fire run and challenged the Tower Knight to round two. He stabbed me twice with his awful guard breaking spear and then a crossbowman shot me as I was running up the stairs to bisect him. Feeling a little put out by this I returned to 5-1 and all went well. Right up until I tried to be clever and get an item by jumping onto a roof that turned out to not be made of wood but instead oil slick ice.
Not feeling the slum chasm I made a foray into 4-1, a place mostly filled by a half destroyed castle. With my new ring and shiny halberd I chopped my way past the rollout and archery necrons and picked up a key, my first of the game. I then found an enemy most intimidating;
A skeleton, made not of bone but of black metal. It's eye sockets glowed with a brilliant red. And it was armed with TWO katanas.
Unimpressed by his visage but knowing this would be a powerful enemy I engaged it in battle. His attacks proved very powerful, draining to block and punishing to suffer. Still I was confident. Right up until he used an overhead scissor attack, which ate all of my stamina and killed me from 60% health which, considering my ghostly state, was 80% of my current max health.
Rather than be disheartened this merely got my blood up. I would slay this bones! I returned with haste and battle commenced. Then both of us fell of the side of the area we were fighting on. Though embarrassing this would prove my salvation. For the bones was trapped behind a dead tree. First with caution and then with gleeful malice I equipped my bow and began shooting. I used all the arrows I had including my 5 holy arrows, leaving it with but a sliver of health left. So I pulled out a throwing knife at that was that.
Returning to the ledge we had fallen from I found that the bones had guarded a prize most wonderful. A Crescent Falchion +1. The short length of the blade and it's rapid light attacks would prove invaluable in the cramped tunnels below. With vigor I flailed the magic blade and slew every skeleton in my way. It was here that my penchant from swinging my weapons at walls paid off and I discovered an illusory wall. Intentionally, in fact. Behind the wall was more skeletons to be chopped and a cheerful graverobber. I purchased a good 220 discount arrows, slightly used, from the man.
Moving on the tunnels ended, opening up to reveal the behind of a potbellied demon. The monster's axe was bigger than myself and I decided not to bother yet. Climbing some stairs into a broken stone building I found more skeletons including a second Duel Katana Bones. As I was cutting down the less instagib enemies I came under attack from the flying, spear launching demon manta rays. After the infantry was down I turned to deal with them and found them to be absurdly fragile under bow fire.
There still remained the Duel Katana Bones and Beer Guts Demon. The bones turned out to have a fatal flaw: it was unwilling to put down one of it's weapons so it could climb ladders. As a result it got to enjoy several minutes of arrows bouncing off it's skull until sheer irritation killed it. With its guardian dead I examined the item that had been cloistered behind the bones. Now this was a true find: The Adjudicator's Shield. While it does not have 100% physical block it does have 50% magic block and a health regeneration passive.
Finally I brought the fight to the demon. Turns out it too had the fatal flaw of not being able to close with me. It's rotund belly proved a fine target and a couple of minutes later it fell. I gathered an armful of assorted other weapons and made my way back to the Nexus for a well deserved rest.