Gaius puts the bowl down and casually scans the room.  Looking back to the creature he waits for a response,

Investigation = 9

The creature seems a little surprised at Raker's voice but says, "He was good dwarf you know. A bit eccentric," it pauses for a moment as one of the rats paws at the ground. With a wave of its eye stalks a small amount of cheese and berries appears before the rat. Another joins it and they begin to eat. "Don't be afraid to share, darlings." it mutters in a cutesy voice towards the animals before looking back to Raker and Gaius, "but a kind master. Despite his obsessions he still cared for others. That's why I chose to continue serving him when it became my choice." A tear wells up in the creature's eye and splashes into the dirt before it continues with a derisive snort. "Would you do the same for your mistress?"

From Gaius' observation he can that of the bowls on the table one is cleaner whereas three others appear to have collected a thin layer of dust. On the ceiling he's able to see a crude artistic lattice carved into the rock. 

"Well, most dwarves are a bit unusual I find," Gaius replies with a bit of a chuckle.  "I see that you are a good master as well," he nods to the feeding rats.  "What are you doing about the kobolds efforts to kill them?"

A slight smile seems to come up on the creature's face as Gaius gestures at feeding the rats. With the second question the central eye is squinted in perplexion, "You're an odd one aren't you?" It looks at the party members, "First you come bearing words from the mistress. Taunting me. Then in a way uncharacteristic of her minions you exchange pleasantries. Now you ask for my tactics?" It descends slightly and turns to one of the rats, "I must say I am not sure what to think here. What about you?"

"What about me?" Gaius replies.  "My interactions with the kobolds are about an entirely different matter.  Not the rats.  I have no plans to save the rats from the kobolds."  He stands up a bit straighter and looks the creature straight into its central eye.  "I could be made interested in a mutual action against the kobolds.  They will continue to kill your rats as long as they are allowed to stay here.  We could work together to drive them off and solve both of our problems at once."

Gaius lets that sink in for a minute and then continues, "As for the mistress, we have a bit of latitude in our actions here regarding her.  But, I will ask again politely because I know this is uncomfortable for you.  Please tell me your purpose."

Persuasion = 18

Raker feels out of his element, standing and observing the back and forth, watching carefully, he gladly lets Gaius take the lead.  He stands at the ready, waiting to see which way this goes.  

The creature turns to the rats, "First he bears word from the mistress. Now he fights her." It focuses its central eye on Gaius, "Latitude indeed!" It hovers a bit towards Raker and Gaius, still keeping its distance. "I guarded things. Kept him company. He was looking for it." The rats huddle around the creature as it continues. "She looked for it too. Demanded my help. Said it was my nature." From the north another rats darts into the cave and chitters at the creature. "Nasty kobolds." the eye creature says. "I don't like them. Seems they don't like you either.  Why?"

Gaius looks to Raker, "We are wasting our time here.  I told her it would be like this.  Let's leave this guardian to his duties and be of no further trouble to him."  Gaius then heads for the hallway we entered from to exit.

With his back to the creature he tries to give a "knowing look" to Raker and quickly directs his eyes to the hallway exit.

Raker nods and follows Gaius, listening for any sound behind them. His hand is moving anxiously, holding onto his belt, the hilt riding there and he continues to walk.  

Gaius moves into the hallway, gesturing for Relic to return to the previous room with the ball and hoop once out of sight of the eye creature.  He then moves to the side after entering the room and brings the Light Rock to this end of the hallway.

As Gaius and Raker leave the room, the creature continues to talk to the rats. "Come and gone again so soon." It quickly says "Ta ta?" to the party before returning to the rats. "But we'll make our stand here. Yes we will." 

Heading up North, Raker doesn't hear any unexpected sounds behind the party. But there is a sound of battle that erupts ahead, from the same area as the party entered in. (So would sound to be coming roughly from where the orange and green lines meet on the map.) It's a mixture of animal sounds and draconic cries.

As Raker and Relic join him in the room, Gaius quickly turns to them. “Sounds like we may have kicked a hornet’s nest.  That eye creature does not get along with this ‘mistress’.  It also seemed to confirm that some kind of powerful/valuable thing was here with her and the dwarf searching for it.  It seems to think she found it.  It is unclear to me why the eye creature is here at all.  Also, I gathered the ‘mistress’ is aligned with or in control of the kobolds.”  He moves to peek down the hall where the combat sounds are taking place, “Do we join this fight immediately to swing the battle, or, wait and deal with the victor?”

After a minute, Gaius adds, “There were several bowls on the table.  Only one seemed used recently.  That does not fit with any of the information we gained as I can tell.  Something else is going on in addition...”

As the party discusses, more sounds of combat come before dying down. There's a few calls of victory spoken in draconic and then the sound of creatures entering into the cave. 

Gaius moves across the room from the hallway with the fighting sounds.  The Light Rock is moved away from that hallway as well.

Gaius readies an action to close on the first kobold to enter the room and cast Shocking Grasp on it.

(Oh boy)

Raker starts to sneak down the hall to have a look, but his foot hangs on a rock that he didn’t see and he falls flat on his face, making a tiny squawk when he does so.  

Stealth : (Nat 1 + 8) = 9

Gaius moves to back up Raker in the hallway if need be when he sees him move down it.

As Raker approaches, trying to stay hidden, his unfortunate circumstances reveal his location. He sees two kobolds and a half-elf bearing a shortsword across the pit. Upon noticing him one of the kobolds points in Raker's direction and shouts. Though the kobolds and half-elf aren't quick enough to react before Raker can, he does hear motion elsewhere towards the North of more creatures.

Initiative

<unseen enemies around corner>
11 Raker <--------------
9 Kobold 1
7 Kobold 2
7 Relic
6 Gaius
3 Shortsword Half-Elf

Got the map on the Owlbear. Please let me know if you have any issues.

Raker barely sees the outline of the half elf in the room to the east, he takes a shot with his short bow, but he can’t really see and target him well.   He hears the arrow clatter on the ground and knows that he missed.  He backs up and moves out of the hallway, moving north and out of sight.  He attempts to hide out of sight of the combatants, one hand goes down to a short sword hilt.  

Short bow attack at disadv : 7 (Nat 1 + 6)

Stealth to hide, as a bonus action : 27

As Raker stealthily removes himself sight, more enemies come into view. A spear-wielding kobold, looking battleworn, takes its place near the East side of the tunnel in addition to another shortsword-bearing half-elf heading down the tunnel and the sight of a familiar robed kobold behind.

11 Raker
10 Spear Kobold [8 damage]
9 Kobold 1
9 Shortsword Half-Elf 2 [dodge]
9 Robed Kobold
7 Kobold 2
7 Relic <--------------
6 Gaius
3 Shortsword Half-Elf 1

Edit: Added damage counts and status