The Hanging Gardens V

The Hanging Gardens I (also known as Page 41: King of the Gardens and Page 42: The Bitter Truth) is the fifth checkpoint in The Hanging Gardens.
==Dialogue==
===Start===
Faust
: Faust continues to the source of the spring. He certainly has no desire to drink it himself, but perhaps it could help others. If people were alerted to the dangers, they may use it responsibly... surely not everyone would turn out like Wilfred, celebrating their new life and forgetting their old one.
King Mandrake
: "ROOOAAARRR!!!" Oh good, another plant that's trying to kill him. This one is so colossal, Faust decides that it must be the king of the Hanging Gardens.
: The ruler of the garden kingdom is, shall we say, reluctant to let the spring water out of its sight. King Mandrake's monstrous tendrils pound the ground, and an army of grass sprouts scatter across the dirt in front of Faust. They glower at him, communicating with one another in inhuman squeaks and chitters.
Faust
: "Oh, hey, I didn't even bring my hedge clippers today, so..." Faust jests, hoping to avoid a chlorophyllous conflict.
===Against Ironbark Carnivore===
===Finish===
King Mandrake
: King Mandrake only growls in reply.
: The king is dead at last, and the Grass Sprouts suddenly become very interested in something several feet to the left of Faust. Finally, Faust can approach the Fountain of Youth.
Faust
: Faust stares deep into the spring. The water is luminescent, with amorphous blue bubbles floating around inside. "It really is the Fountain of Youth! Remarkable. I need to study it more closely... I'll just take a small sample."
: Carefully, he fills a glass bottle with the water, corks it, and holds it up to the light. His soul is filled with glee at his triumph. Faust saunters out of the Hanging Gardens, whistling a happy tune.
: "Wait a minute..." The bottle catches Faust's eye as he's walking out of the garden. Something's different. The light and the blue particles have all disappeared. It's just ordinary water now.
: Faust raises his eyebrows, then bursts into laughter. "So that's it." After so much trial and error, and so many failures, Faust finally understands. His quest for eternity is a fool's errand. There's no such thing.
: He was going to lose his wager. Oh well. He had an appointment to keep, either way. Head held high, Faust sets out for the land of the demons.
==Navigation==
Category:Gaia Chronicle Checkpoints
Category:The Hanging Gardens