Take her with you.

In-between two of your previous deaths you managed to discover a small cave system, which you now use as a place to rest and recover from fights. You definitely did not discover it while cowardly running from a group of Players, and you most definitely did not use it to hide from them. What a preposterous idea.

You push and prod at the lithe mage, until you're relatively certain that she won't suddenly slide off of you. The timer of the "k.o"-effect appears every time you rest your eyes on the mages form, and shows that you still have ample time to return home, even with your extra baggage slowing you down. So you take a couple of seconds to slither in circles on top of the dune, being fully aware how ridiculous you must look to outsiders, but wanting to test the limits of your movement range, with the mage limply resting on your tail, all the same.

Busy slithering about, you nearly slide over a wooden staff, already half buried under the ever-shifting masses of sand. You bent down to pick it up, testing its weight in your hand, before you toss it in the air only to catch it again. The male mage must've dropped this at some point, as you distinctly remember him using it to scratch his head. Showing off for an invisible crowd, you once again toss the staff into the air, catch it and twirl it around your body, mindful of your tail and its occupant, before finishing off with a quick flourish and bow.

The staff is about twice the length of your arm, but from what you can tell it is well balanced. You resolve to take it with you, as it definitely is a better weapon than your fists. Sure, you cannot cast any spells, at least not that you know of, but simply smacking your enemies into submission has already worked once and now you have a stick to do it with. Satisfied you place it against your back, a quiet ethereal noise informing you that the game mechanics have recognized it as a weapon and have made it stick against your leather armor. You bent and turn for a bit, getting used to the unfamiliar weight against your back.

After taking one last look around, you once again turn to check up on your human cargo, then you set off. The loose sand on the sides of the dune would have caused problems for most other species, but you simply shift your weight and stand still, the sand sliding down the incline and bringing you with it. Now, back where the whole encounter started, you finally let the realization set in. You finally won a fight! Only took you over a dozen tries, but still! A wide, and just maybe a tiny bit stupid grin spreads over your face. Sure, you didn't actually kill anyone and didn't get any XP, but you got some sweet loot!

As you steadily make progress through the desert, you let your mind wander. The loot you gained is pretty sweet, no doubt about that, but what about the human? You look back to your tail, the human still lying spread eagle on top of it, an arm and a leg hanging off to either side. Can you consider her "loot", as well? Personally, you wouldn't have any problem with it. You can easily think of a couple of things she would be very useful for. Cleaning the caves, for example. Or distracting enemies? Maybe, even keep her around as a... um... pleasure... ****? A pleasant tingle runs down your spine, and you feel your cheeks heat up at the thought. Once again you look back at the limp female and a sigh escapes you. No way that would work. She's probably gonna wake up and kill you the first chance she gets.

After an endless amount of dunes, all of them looking similar to one another, you finally arrive at the cave system you call your home. On a relatively flat expanse of the desert lies a gigantic reptilian skull, the rest of the skeleton buried beneath the masses of sand. Huge fangs keep its upper jaw from touching the floor and tell of the serpentine ancestry you share. You slither over the lower jaw and enter its mouth, before descending through its neck and entering the main cave. The walls are lined with the ribs and the spine of the once great creature, narrow pathways to multiple smaller caves branch off into various directions.

In one of the bigger caves, you have fashioned yourself a halfways comfortable resting place, some scraps of scavenged cloth covering the hard rock and serving as an improvised bed. You stop on top of it, a yawn forcing its way through your body. The trek across what felt like the entire desert, has tired you out, but you're still lucid enough to turn and look at your human cargo. The "k.o" effects timer is still active and will continue to be so for a while longer, the effect intended to offer players a chance to "revive" a fallen comrade. Other monsters would've probably simply killed her after knocking her out, leaving her to respawn in one of the desert settlements.

That was probably where the other Player went. You smile sadistically as you picture his expression when he notices that his companion simply isn't respawning. Serves him right for attacking you.

For the moment you should, however, concentrate on the Player that didn't escape and is still limply lying on your back. You could probably try to wake her up yourself, maybe you'll be able to explain things, or you could trap her in your powerful coils and go to sleep yourself, leaving her to wake up on her own. Once again you let the holographic image of the timer flicker to life. If you can gauge the current time correctly, then she'll probably wake up sometime at night. Still, you're not too worried about her escaping, since mages are known for pathetically low physical strength and even a barbarian, a class renown for their strength would have a difficult, if not impossible time.