I peer around the corner.

As you peek your head around the corner of the hallway, you first notice a beautifully-constructed, brass filigree banister with a view of a grand antechamber, green flickering torches lining the walls. 

To the left of this landing, you catch a quick glimpse of a staircase leading down to the ground level, decorated with a swirling mosaic set into the floor. Marching in formation across this tilework are twenty brass automatons, their bodies over six feet tall, with sharp, beak-like heads and beady flashbulb eyes. Four arms, capped with deadly blades, extend out from bodies made of chunky clockwork. 

You sneak slightly closer to the banister, keeping your body low to the ground, and watch as they promenade across the chamber, their bladed arms glinting in the torchlight. They seem entirely unaware of your presence. 

Your hand glides across the wall of the chamber as you approach, and you feel the cold of something metallic against your fingers. With a shock, you shoot your head in its direction, and discover a set of metal rungs running up the entrance. 

What do you do?