By the time they finally arrived back Eric was almost all the way healed and had gained the promise of silence from Arch after he promised that Goldy would finish healing him later. Goldy in turn had somehow turned her ability to siphon magic back off. In reality she had just started using her built in gathering mechanism to gather and direct energy to her instead of the gem staff.
Subconsciously protecting herself as her powers to survive had reached a high enough level. If a high level mage had looked closely at their beginning they would have noticed the absolute lack of life within a 200 foot area. Members that came across that area over the next few days blamed the absence of life and energy upon the beast but in fact it had been Goldy.
Goldy and her people were the spark of life when this spark first came to this planet so long ago they sparked life itself. Causing a multitude of changes not only here but even within them selves. This is why Goldy could grant life and bring death, she was a mutation of the original.
The gems were just holders of energy smallest fragments of the original fraction of the spark. Of Which the main was now a part of all the world. All life recognized this from the smallest to the largest, and was why Goldy's people gave and took to strive to keep balance within this world.
By Goldy taking such a chunk of the life force to heal her friends she had created such an imbalance and so it would be noticed. Eric was trying to put his finger in a mountainside wide hole but he and Goldy did not quite know this yet. Goldy's love had somehow started a avalanche toward a large change that would effect all.
When Goldy had finally reawaken it was a whole day later and even that was with the aid of Eric and Arch gathering of any and all used up gems being consumed by her innate powers. Upon awakening she found out what had happened after they were found, and profoundly thanked Arch for his silence.
In addition, shortly after their return the beast had found their encampment and been laying in wait since, allowing no one in or out. Their food supplies would be gone within two more days and their water within two weeks. The Commander had been waiting for everyone to recover and gain the ability to devise a plan to counter attack.
So far however none of their option seemed to be feasible without huge losses, only the scouts had noticed that at the hottest point in the day that the beast powers decreased for about two hour. During this time they took turns hunting and bathing in the lake waters which had came within a hundred feet of their camp.
Finally on the fourth day the rain finally stopped turning into a light mist and the sun came out. The beasts tempers soared and they started to repeatedly attack the cave entrance and the party had to retreat further inward. When the cave entrance started to collapse the prince finally made a decision the next day they would attack back.
His advisors prompted him afraid they would be entombed within and most were happy rather dying in battle then inside a mountain as cowards. That night Goldy walked throughout saying prayers over any who showed any sign of injuries or sickness. That night when most slept she wondered deep into the cave system.
Following the whispers of the earth's power she squeezed into a small cave which held a large amount of energy and found a batch of close to twenty eggs. They probably had been lain here long ago and even though they were deceased, contained an large amount of energy. Probably victims to the caves shaking rocks lose and preventing them from their mother's care.
Goldy knew they were beast eggs which still contained gems and so she prayed over their lose of life and thank them for given her a chance to heal her inner spark. She had not dared to tell even Eric that her inner gem had been so greatly damaged by what she had done that it was failing in with it, her life as well.
This might be a gift from the land as her father was prone to saying however for Goldy she hoped it would be enough to restart her core and live on. For the next two hours she opened the eggs and processed the gems out of the eggs until only one remained. Goldy had recovered close to fifty gems in varying sizes.
As she was about to absorb their energy she heard a voice talking from deep inside her and fell into a trance. A meditative trance in which she repeated words unknown to ears, saw sights and smells unknown to eyes and nose. When she come out of the trance she found herself holding a glittering miniature of what her father once held long in her past.
Her core was renewed and this new gem was radiating power at a totally unknown to her level. It slowly dimmed and stopped emitting as her concentration failed. Goldy heard Eric stirring calling out softly for her to return. She placed the strange gem into her shirt and hurried to return to the others.
They prepared to combat the beast clearing as much debris as possible, a select group of their most powerful mages were grouped together to cast a light spell from a combination array together it should be able to blast at least one of the beast far enough away to allow them to scurry out and start attacking.
This had to be coordinated precisely and since Goldy had the highest perceptions of the entire group she would initiate the battle. Secretly she would use her connection with the earth to tell when the beasts separated to time the attack to their advantage.
Knowing how fast they were even in their weakened state she was not to sure they would have enough time to eliminate one before the other came back. So they were perfectly silent as she asked the very bugs to report the beast movements. When the reported their sign for water she dropped her signal and they activated the array as the guards retreated and the beast shoved its flipper inward. The fight begins.