[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zyKI3M4.png[/img][/center]

Darnic’s words seemed to be falling on deaf ears. This was, of course, because Io had her airp*ds in. She was currently listening to the music of the “modern” era, which of course meant music from the 90’s. Since she spent her past decade focusing on the 80’s, Io figured it was time to focus on a new era of music to celebrate the dawn of her second decade in the United States. 

More importantly, she just hated the sound of Darnic’s voice. The airp*ds could only do so much, so Io began to hum to herself. She was mildly confused how a song about losing one’s spirituality was a hit in 1991, but by this point she had learned that questioning the popularity of things was a pointless exercise.

Once the “leader” of their faction had finished his monologue, Io removed her airp*ds.

[color=ab34eb]“Okay so, I’ll go establish relations with the Red Faction. It is statistically unlikely for anyone present to decline such an offer. Those who are not present do not matt-”[/color]

Damn, she wasn’t quick enough to finish that statement before he called. Considering it was an excuse to further avoid the man at the helm of her faction, she would pick up the phone. Io was kind enough to raise a finger at Darnic, signifying a pause of sorts as she answered the phone.

[color=ab34eb]“Yo. You know that song birds don’t spend much time in Vegas, right? Their songs ring hollow against the noise of urban society. There is just too much competition, and a little bird’s song has no innate appeal. Now, would you get on to the status report and stop wasting time.”[/color]

She was supposed to hate the nickname, she got that. In fact, when she remembered, she would give a retort to tell him to stop calling her that. Unfortunately, Io really did not care about such a thing. A name serves as one’s identity to others, but identity was already something needless to her. 

A primate needed to save the primates, but an individual was not needed to save individuals.

[color=ab34eb]“Smallpox? What a...strange idea. Say, did you know that the smallpox vaccine was the first ever invented. In the year 1793. Who would even use such a trick in an era largely removed from that disease? It would have to be a Servant, right? Why would a Master do something like that?”[/color]

And so, the supercomputer known as Io Shesemu Mathoris got to work.

...Actually, it was a really simple procedure. Such a thing was simple for anyone who had lived in the United States for an extended period of time.

[color=ab34eb]“...You don’t know much about the New World, right? There was a myth circulated that many of the explorers who came brought over Smallpox blankets in order to kill off the Native population. The actual event that may have spawned this was a British outpost in the late 18th Century. Regardless of the facts, the belief of the modern age has an effect on those summoned for the Holy Grail. Following me so far?”[/color]


She continued to keep her finger up at Darnic, keeping him informed that she was still not going to talk to him.

[color=ab34eb]“As this is the case, the myth can only be applied to certain figures. Namely, explorers from the Age of Exploration and the leader of the Siege of Fort Pitt. We can slim it down even further, as the Servant must be worthy to reach the Heroic Spirit. This would leave us with names like Columbus, Cortez, Pizzaro, de Soto, and de León.”[/color]

Them being all hired by Spain was in line with the era, even if the British were the likely origin point of the smallpox blanket myth.

[color=ab34eb]“Within those five, I’m sure you can narrow the rest down. I doubt Purple would summon the latter three. While the last two were brutal, their achievements are not impressive enough to be summoned by a team trying this hard. Pizzaro defeated the largest empire in the Americas, Cortez has his connections to Quetzacoatl, and Columbus was the man who made the Americas a known continent. I’m sure you can figure out who the Servant is between these three. Only someone absolutely heinous would work with Team Purple, but I guess they are all pretty sinful. I believe in you. Well, sorta.”[/color]

Not really, but she learned that pretending to believe in people was good for building team morale.

[color=ab34eb]“I’ll have Aldintabruthe head down to your location. I’ll pass him a cure for smallpox and he’ll do...something involving cheese to help the village. If you have any updates, just send me a text. I need to go establish relations with the Red Faction, we’re going to be in a truce with them or something. There should be someone from Atlas amongst their ranks, but it is unlikely they sent anyone super important. Anyway, if we’re done here, lates.”[/color]

Seriously... a smallpox outbreak? It was not completely out of her calculations, but the potential chances of that were no miniscule that it might as well have been. At the very least, this Purple Faction was going to be entertaining. After giving the man silence for a few seconds, she hung up her phone. 

[color=ab34eb]“Anyway, I’ll be heading out. See ya Darny~!”[/color]

Darny seemed to have been the name chosen to upset Darnic. He had a much greater sense of self than she did, so she assumed it would hit much harder.

[color=ab34eb][i]”Caster, I’ll need you to bring me to where the Red Faction is. According to my calculations I made from scouting data, some should be at the Hexamilion Wall. No individual existences are known, but we will make do.”[/i][/color]

On the way to her Servant, Io would pass a vial filled with a liquid over to Aldintabruthe and inform him of the current situation.. The liquid was clearly a magical vaccine to smallpox she engineered out of her own blood. As a world class doctor and an alchemist, creating arguably the most simple vaccine was fairly easy. Where she got the vial, however, was a mystery lost to time.