Mind Flayers aren't helpful. However you treat it, you're only one of two things to it: food or breeding stock. They feel massively superior to the humanoid races, and rightfully so. The average Mind Flayer is as much smarter than the average human as the average human is smarter than the average cow.
If you want to be silly enough to save it, there should be a couple different options to do so, but then it makes complete sense that it will just kill you as soon as it's not dying anymore.
