Varonus' face shows a spark of interest, that doesn't quite rise to the level of hope. "I tried to warn you, this thing will probably kill us all. But if you can protect me, I'll tell you what I know."
"I can't come behind you. This circle is a magic circle ritual, but it's not strong enough to hold the demon on its own. I have to maintain it, bolster it often with my heart's blood." He pulls back his sleeve to show a long series of parallel cuts on his wrist, some of them half healed.
"If I back away, it will break the circle in moments. If you think you are strong enough to fight it, I... I will trust you, and run for the stairs. But if any of you are trained in the use of magic rituals, and if you have ritual components with you, we might be able to weaken it first. Do any of you have arcane components?"
[sblock=ooc]What he's talking about is a skill challenge in the form of a ritual. It will take 100g worth of arcane ritual components, and it won't be easy, but it has a chance of weakening the demon.
Or we can go straight to combat. Or you can try something else. Up to you.[/sblock]