Near the entrance hall already, where they all had entered the house before, they decided to head back there. As both Ryan and Erik had taken another part of the building to explore, they should start looking from there.
Reaching the hall, they took notice in a big, unmoving statue right in the center of the room, resembling a gargoyle. It looked like it was running towards the door and stopped mid-step. “That wasn´t there when we came in, right?” asked Johnny from the others back.
“No, I think not. It would have been in the way for at least Ryan before he could go downstairs into the cellar. Let´s take a look, not that that is Ryan” Sei answered him. And so, they moved down into the hall, slowly approaching the statue.
As they came nearer, something coughed their eyes. The statue was moving a bit, raising its chest like it was breathing. The only other thing moving at the statue was its eyes, which spun around quickly. It gave off the feeling as if someone was trapped inside the stone.
Just as the group stopped before it, a slow and quiet voice whispered: “Help … me”, coming from the slightly ajar mouth of the gargoyle. Each of them looked surprised at the figure, but not recognizing the voice.
Mike asked, unsure if it was wise to help the gargoyle statue: “How can we help you?”
It took a bit and they needed to strain their ears to hear it, but the gargoyle answered: “Water … mouth … drink.”
Looking around for a source of water, one of Johnny´s kobold bodies jumped down from Mike´s and Sei´s back, running to the next door to the left of the stairs. “What are you doing?” Sei called after him.
“Getting some water for the gargoyle” Johnny answered after he got back out of the room with a cup of water.
Similar to Mike before, the gargoyle recognized that voice somehow. “Johnny?”
Now the others looked confused, but they still couldn´t place that voice. So, Sei asked: “How do you know his name?”
Johnny poured the cup down onto the gargoyles stone tongue without hesitation, before watching it with interest. Still ever so slowly, the gargoyle answered: “I think … I´m able … to recognize … my brothers … voice … anywhere. … Johnny, … it´s me … Ryan.”
Now they all looked shocked at the gargoyle. Sei had guessed right as they had entered the hall? While they had said Ryan´s name, nobody mentioned Johnny being his brother since they came in here. “That´s you, Ryan? What happened?” Sei asked him.
Again, with some pause, Ryan answered: “I will … explain … but I … need more … water … please.” There was a pleading undertone in the whispering voice.
Before Johnny could run again, Sei asked him: “How did you know where to get water from, Johnny?”
Johnny looked at him, surprised by himself. “I don´t know, when Ryan asked, it came to me that there is the kitchen. Now let´s get him more water.”
Sei and Mike walked after the running Johnny, only to notice that they didn´t fit through the door. Johnny had already gotten a big pitcher from one of the cupboards and filled it with water. With some difficulty, he carried it back towards the others. Sei and Mike helped him up towards Ryan´s mouth, pouring it inside.
Ryan became a bit more alive with that, but it took Johnny four more filled pitchers before Ryan was able to move freely again. Johnny collapsed on Sei´s paw, which they had used as a lift, as neither Mike nor Sei could pick up the pitcher with their paws otherwise.
“Thanks, Johnny.” Ryan finally got out, carefully patting the little kobolds head. Then, with a look of confusion, he turned to the others.
Sei understood the silent question. “I´m Sei, and Mike is the other head of this body.” With that, the two explained what happened to them, and one of the Johnny´s on their back explained what happened to him.
Ryan looked shocked at the group of kobolds. “You all are Johnny?” to which they all nodded. Ryan helped the still exhaust one back onto the dragon´s back. Then he started to explain.
“When I got down to the cellar, I heard something. I went looking for that sound, and after a couple of silent storerooms got into something like a library. On a desk there was a little figurine toppled over, and I felt like putting it upright again. But when I touched it, it shocked me, and I heard something laugh in the air.
Before I could say anything, I felt a pressure building in my clothes, and before I could do anything about that, they all ripped apart as my body grew bigger. I was speechless as I watched my changes. My toes merged to three, before turning into these long claws. The same happened to my fingers. While my muscles all over my body bulged even more, some pressure pushed my tailbone outwards, and ended with that tail I have now. Then a similar pressure on my back started, and these wings formed. I didn´t even notice the spikes on my back and new tail, as a pain formed in my head. That´s when I got horns and my small muzzle. I was looking like I do now, but still human skin-colored.
Then that voice that laughed before spoke about me being a proper guardian, but that a silent watcher would be better. That I would need to dry out. Before I knew it, I saw my arms turn stone grey, and became harder to move. I had a feeling that I would turn back if I escaped from here, and started to run back up here. And with each step I got slower and heavier. I saw my skin turn more and more grey. When I finally entered this hall again, already rather slow, I just stopped moving mid-step. I was panicking, but could do nothing, just watch the entrance and whisper slowly.”
The others looked shocked at him. If they hadn´t found Ryan, would he have even lost his last bit of speech?
“How did you know you needed water, then?” Johnny asked him, not completely understanding that.
It was Sei who answered, through: “If that voice said he had to dry out, I guess you thought that drinking water against that would help, right?”
“Yeah. It was the only thing I could think of, beside my earlier thought of escaping the building.” Ryan answered affirmative. “What now?”
“We need to find Erik, he is still somewhere in here. And most likely he has been changed like we all are, as well.” Mike explained, and the others nodded.
“Okay. But maybe we should take some water with us, not that I dry up again if I don´t get some.” Ryan said. Lucky for his poor brother, Ryan could fit through the door to the kitchen, and got a couple of pinchers he could fill with water. He also found a basket where he could put the pitchers in. As there was some kind of barrier between the pitchers, they shouldn´t break.
Ready to continue searching, Mike and Sei walked down the corridor Erik had taken before, still carrying the sixteen kobolds Johnny was now. Ryan, carrying his basket of water, followed them.