And even sadder is the fact that I'm not a teenager with the reflexes of a Ninja who could probably beat these guys while texting with their other hand, but a 43 year-old bloke with the reflexes of a drunken orangutang who tried Dark Souls because I wanted something different that is lacking from most other games out there. And I'm not bragging here - it's the elation of doing something difficult and knowing that you didn't actually do a bad job.
I know there are probably harder battles to come, but I just love this game. And thanks to the advice on other posts here with tips on how to win this fight - your positivity kept me going through this.