Kib can't so much flee. He can shriek - he can lurch in the direction of the nearest house and try the door - it's locked. He can amble briskly...
He can break into a run when the snake gains on him and fall flat on his face.
And he can get eaten up.
And it's too bright too bright too bright and he flings his arm over his eyes.
"No, because they take fifteen, twenty years, longer if you're not very good at golems, that's a long time to a human, and you can just get a barber to cut your hair! But they're a thing, I've seen some."
"Me too. How do I politely decline jewelry. I'm not really a jewelry person," Kib murmurs.
"Some humans are jewelry people. I'm just not one of them. It seems kind of pointless?"
"Things handed to you in the street will not be magic, magic things take a long time to make and are usually designed for someone, or at least kept so people can go get them at need, not just handed out like diamonds or anything. You can't usually tell what something magic does without either a lot of knowledge of our magic or the help of the creator, though it's often obvious. Lots of things glow, or heat up, or warn the bearer of danger. Someone might actually have a ring for graceful movement, I should ask around.'
"...I mean I'd sell the diamonds for money which I could then translate into near-arbitrary goods and services which, yes, might eventually lead me to the storkmaker."
Kib is not that great at languages, but he picks up 'hello' and 'thank you' and such with only a mildly terrible accent.