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Jumper didn't know what it was she was experiencing, but she felt sick.
She wandered her base, seeing all the color of the base, how lovely it was… and it made her sick. She didn't understand why! But if she looked at the building for too long she would start to feel woozy.
She didn’t tell anyone, cause it was dumb anyway right? It was just a little sickness! Nothing to worry about! It would pass soon enough, right?
Soon enough, a month passed, and it only got worse for Jumper.
The shining of the base made Jumper feel sick, everywhere she went was like another explosion of color. Sometimes she would notice a leaf from her antlers, a clear sign of declining health for a jackalope.
Still she said nothing, she didn't wanna bother Rekrap or Ro with her problems, they didn't need to hear about a little sickness, she still felt deep down that she was the least qualified in the team, both of them were here for so much longer then her, she was still pretty new all things considered.
Jumper walked slowly around her base, trying to look away from the color, but soon she felt something build up in her throat, and Jumper ran.
It took a while but soon she ran out of her base and onto the edge of the small island and threw up while crying from the gross feeling. Her body felt like it was just giving up.
It had gone for a few minutes before she heard someone behind her.
“Geez, you alright there? You look like you're gonna throw up your hearts.”
Immediately, Jumper stopped all she was doing and her instincts took hold of her. She immediately ran…. Right into the water.
She struggled, her body felt so weak and she barely fought when she felt 2 arms grab her from the water and onto dry ground.
She struggled to get up as she saw a pair of sneakers step next to her.
“Okay… yeah you're not okay, and no wonder. Your base is sickening to look at.”
“Who's there?” Great, Jumper's voice was coming back, she could even turn her head a little as the figure crouched down, letting Jumper the face.
It was Midmysticx, Mid as she had heard people call her. Jumper didn't really have an opinion on her that she could recall, she was a neutral player from what she had seen. Then again all she had seen was a sand challenge and a army of cat plushies.
Still, what was she doing here!?
“What are you doing here? You have no reason to be here.”
“I'm just looking round the server, Derapchu revived me a few days ago and I've been just, looking around I suppose, seeing how it's been going. Heard of something being here and I guess it's… this thing.”
Jumper slowly got up, her legs still felt weak but she pushed through that.
“It's my base… you're not gonna reveal its location to anyone.. Right?”
Mid smiled, a clear sign she wouldn't make any promises, but it was still trustworthy enough. Her shadow seemed uneven, as if it was moving just recently, though looking at it sent a chill down Jumper's spine, so she looked at Mid for a response.
“Sure.. perhaps I will. Also, you are not going back in there.” Mid pointed in the direction of Jumper's base.
She tried to look back at it but Mid pulled her away.
“What are you doing!? Do you WANT to fry your brain again?”
“Huh!? What do you mean? Frying my brain?”
Mid sighed and pulled Jumper away from her base. After they walked for a little, making it to the tree line, Mid stopped and looked at her.
“Your base is the problem, it's too.. Bright, get my drift?”
Jumper shook her head in response.
“No I don't get your drift, what do you mean?”
“You're Hardcore right?”
Jumper wanted to lie, but she felt a pull that she shouldn't lie, not yet. She could trust Mid, for now at least. So she simply nodded slowly, before asking her something.
“How do you know that? No one is supposed to know that but the admins.”
“I just know my own.”
Jumper paused for a moment hearing that. There's no way, in clay and bone, that there was another Hardcorder here.
“You're also a Hardcorder? How long did you know I was one? How did you know?”
Mid stared at her, her eyes seemed oddly catlike for a moment, the same chill ran down Jumper's spine.
“You have.. the traits we normally have. You look vaguely handmade, you look like some kinda plush doll, your skin is pretty pale, and your eyes do look vaguely like you're missing half your soul. Most likely to a Catalyst Deal, getting out and I'm assuming your antler crystal is what you got out of it.”
Jumper was surprised by how accurate she was with that, she in fact made a deal with the sole deity of hardcore mode, it was one of the few ways to leave the world and safely return.
The clawing at her soul was felt when Jumper spoke.
“What does this have to do with my base?”
Mid took a breath before speaking again.
“Simply put, the color of your base is too much at once for you to handle. You're more used to more faded colors, which are normal back in hardcore worlds. But we aren't in hardcore worlds, so the colors here are more bright then we are used to, overwhelming your brain.”
“Wait, really? How did you fix it?
“Well, I just dealt with it. I struggled with the same problems, but Midnight is able to help by covering my eyes in shade. There's no way to fix it. Just cover your eyes with a tint and deal with it.”
“Oh, that sucks… I have these glasses, they could work right?”
Mid thought about that for a second before nodding.
“That should work I suppose, I guess you'll be then.”
“I guess so, so that's it? Wear my glasses?”
“Yeah I suppose that's it, I'll get out of your hair now, your base locations safe with me, so don't you worry in the slightest.” Mid smiled a smile, kind, genuine, not common between members who weren't in a team or even that close. Then again, neither knew the other all that well… more reason to distrust one another in the end of this.
Jumper put on her glasses still facing Mid, hoping they would cover her eyes well enough. The woman laughed, nearly like a cackle, and turned away from her, forming shadow like wings wisping at the ends.
“Well I’ll be off then, you clearly don't want me around much longer.”
“Yeah.. bye then I suppose. Thanks.”
Mid flew off, wisping shadows followed her and Jumper headed back towards her base, now unaffected by the colors. Her head was clear now