Beg for your little life.

Let's see... Running? Nope. You're half her size and probably in worse shape despite her clearly magic-focused build. Deception? Pfft. You're about as smooth as as the terrain you just rolled down. Fighting? Not even funny as a joke. Which only leaves one option: Diplomacy.

That is to say you lay yourself flat on the ground again with hands clasped in front of you, crying for mercy in both senses. "Pleeease don't kill me, please please please! I don't wanna go back, I don't wanna lose everything, please spare my tiny wretched self...!"

The mage raises both eyebrows at your display, one no longer sufficient. "Uhh... Sure. Why not. First time I meet a non-hostile one of you. Are you like, a runaway or something?"

You breathe for a while, trying to calm yourself with the relieving realization that she's not going to smite you. Yet.

"You could say that," you respond. "I kinda-sorta-maybe attacked my own boss and now he wants to put me in a coffin forever and I don't wanna be in a coffin forever and if I die I'll get sent back so he can put-"

"I get it," she says with her hand raised in a calming gesture. "So... Are you bugged out or are you supposed to act like this?"

You stand up again, brushing yourself off awkwardly. "I... don't know, actually. I just know I wanna be more than... well, this." You gesture to your short, unimpressive self. It's hard to believe that your level is in the double-digits. You wonder what spells SHE has at this point...

...Wait.

She smiles at you. "Aw, little minion wants to be a big boy?"

Okay, that train of thought will have to be parked to the side for a moment. Your honour needs defending.

"Hey!" you cry out in dismay. "...Um, yes. But when you put it like that it sounds even worse..."

"What? It's cute."

"I don't like being cute!" You shake your fists cutely. "I want to be a badass spellcaster, like... like..."

Time to get that train going again... This hero is probably way stronger than you are at this point, with way better chances of growing stronger still. And you've already kind of sold your loyalty to heroes for personal gain. Maybe, just maybe, you could use your supposed cuteness to your advantage.

"...Like you," you finally say, shoulders slumping. "You hero-types can squash countless monsters and I could barely take down one of you even if you asked me to."

You look up at her, hands clasped again, this time under what would be your chin, and try to make puppy-eyes with the glowing red orbs inside the void of your hood. "Is there any chance you need an apprentice...? Or just, you know... a little bitchboy sidekick to cast a few buffs and debuffs?"

The mage looks surprised by your request. "Huh... This is not at all how I expected my ingredient hunt to go..."