Round 37

Seraphine lowered Merrin back onto the stone floor as gently as she could manage, her arms aching from the effort. The rhythmic thumping that had been following them seemed to intensify here, vibrating through the very bones of the ancient structure. She straightened up, brushing dust off her robes with hands that trembled slightly more than she would have liked to admit. "A guardian chamber," she said, her voice barely louder than the constant drumming that filled the air. "It explains the heartbeat, the power pulsing through this place." Her sharp eyes scanned the gloom, searching for any sign of movement or immediate threat. "But what kind of guardian? And how do we deal with it without waking up anything else?"