As the beast slumped to the chamber floor in a rippling pool of blackened blood, its final ragged breaths seemed to pulse in time with a sinister radiance that emanated from the foul cradle in which it was spawned.

With each throbbing wave the pulse grew stronger, until it threatened to tear apart the very beams of iron and stone that cradled us in their cavernous embrace, as though the living rock was attuned to both the creature itself and its wretched point of blasphemous origin.

A shuddering wave of vibrations rippled across the expanse - and then, in a merciful twist, a deafening blast resounded as a slab of ancient stone slid crumbling to reveal the salvation of a cramped passage, beckoning us further into the labyrinth.

Perhaps if we could cause it to pulse once more, it would be enough to revive this ancient automata and reveal to us further passage or means of escape.

With unified purpose we channelled our focus and prayed that the hand of providence would guide us.