89. Goetia: Amon Returns Balam to His Mother's Side
Amon sent Balam back to his mother's side with Goetia.
"Mother. I return the prodigal son who fled your home to your embrace, praying that he repents there."
Amon drew a brief breath and continued his prayer. "You who always forgive us..." he murmured under his breath. "Bring down judgment fitting his sins. Amen."
Finishing the prayer for Balam, Amon cremated his corpse in the furnace. No ashes emerged, but it was a cremation nonetheless. With everything done, he made the sign of the cross and stepped out of the forge.
Yotron's disciple had watched the entire process as the forge's new owner. Once Amon was out of sight, he whispered to his master, "Master, are we really safe?"
"Hang crosses in every forge."
As the two exchanged those words, Amon rejoined Sonia. They then sent the long-forgotten victims and their families to America before heading back to their lodging. And as always, they reported in to Kashi.
"We met the ones pulling the strings behind Neville Pharmaceuticals this time."
Reports on the assassins from Miller Pharmaceuticals were routine, so he skipped those and got straight to the anomalies. He was certain Balam had used the exact same methods as the attackers to commit suicide. Neville Pharmaceuticals was backed by them. Amon then described their features.
They wielded divine power. It felt a touch impure compared to Sonia's or his own, but it was unmistakably divine power. Other traits included horns on their heads and physical abilities beyond human limits. There were more oddities that defied explanation as mere humans.
Balam the man had threateningly long nails, but his true danger was the invisibility power. That was why Amon and Sonia hadn't noticed him until he struck first. He could even render parts of his body invisible, making it tricky to gauge the reach of those claws.
"When those invisible claws shrank in front of my sword only to suddenly stretch toward my chest... my heart dropped."
Instinct had prompted a backstep to dodge, but it was a chilling experience. Even Amon, who thought he knew Balam's patterns, proceeded with caution from then on. The nameless brute Sonia faced was similar. She boasted insane durability and strength beyond any man's. Sonia's anti-tank weaponry had overshadowed it, but her toughness rivaled a tank. Add in the explosive speed from that small frame, and Sonia's victory seemed almost unnatural.
"I can say for sure. Both were executive-level."
Amon reported with conviction. But their combat prowess wasn't the real issue. The true crux was the inverted pentagram carved into their flesh.
"I have a rough idea of what they are."
"Something like that."
"Yeah. A little off."
They believed in a real entity, for one—not quite goddess-level, but divine enough by human standards. Amon's mood grew heavier.
"One thing I can say for certain."
Amon wasn't one to preach purging the world with fire. He had no intention of hunting every heretic on earth. But these ones... he couldn't let them be.
"Those bastards are heretics that must die."
Left alone, they'd repeat the sins of thousands of years past.
Kashi chimed in at Amon's fierce declaration.
Kashi had little interest in heretics. But if Amon hated them this much, there had to be a reason. So she fabricated a justification to join him.
Amon worried briefly about dragging her in, but the thought passed. Worrying's a luxury. She was a precog megacorp chair—not someone he needed to fret over. Her personality guaranteed she'd follow anyway.
Sonia said the same. Pushing her away out of false concern was just distrust. Trust your comrades. Recalling that lesson, he gratefully accepted her resolve.
"Thanks."
"What?"
"Balam. 51st hierarchy demon."
"51st out of the 72 hierarchies."
Balam was famous as one of Solomon's 72 demons. Amon didn't memorize all 72, but Balam was a named one he remembered well.
Kashi perked up at the mention from Amon's lips.
"Internet lore? Or what I know?"
Amon nodded and began.
In this world, Balam was known as a demon who appeared out of nowhere. Little origin lore, abilities limited to prophecy and granting invisibility to contractors—a run-of-the-mill(?) demon. But Amon knew Balam was originally human. Punk City 1 recorded it explicitly.
Back in BC, shamans and seers were commonplace worldwide. Not superstition—magic was real, so even those who should study science delved into spells instead. Balam was one such shaman, famous in his era. In a time of crude magic, his prophecies and curses hit high accuracy rates. His appointment as court shaman proved his skill.
But Balam's arrogance pierced the heavens, and he broke taboos.
"Balam wanted to be chosen by the Goddess."
Chosen prophets or shamans earned the title of Seer. Seers wielded incomparable power, coveted by all. But Balam wasn't chosen. A mere boy was.
The boy worshipped the Goddess amid his shamanic training, yet received only rejection.
"He worshipped Her power, not Her—so he wasn't chosen. He never realized."
Balam envied the Seer. Blinded by jealousy, he broke three taboos.
"First, he tried to intercept the Goddess's prophecies to the Seer."
For that, Balam lost his sight. Prayer and penance restored it. But people don't change that easily. Repentance was fleeting; he broke the second taboo.
"When the Goddess wouldn't answer, he cursed the Seer with plague and slandered him as a false prophet."
The Goddess wouldn't stand for it. From that day, Balam couldn't stand. His legs failed like sudden paralysis. Impotence was a bonus. He procured a donkey to ride, but every beast bucked him off. The donkeys crawling to him spoke human words: This is divine punishment—cease your folly.
From then, Balam railed against the Goddess and broke the third taboo.
"He sent prostitutes to induce the Seer and followers into adultery."
Thinking it the ultimate insult. But the Goddess knew already. Before the plan unfolded, She inflicted epilepsy on Balam and the whores. Their seizures lasted until death.
"That's Balam's human tale."
"Getting there."
Balam died thus. But when his soul hit hell, the Saint of Sins reborn him as a demon. From then, he was one.
Leads right into Punk City 1. That game follows a nameless merc hunting the Saint of Sins in the holy city. Balam appears as a mid-boss among her followers. Naturally, Amon omitted game, boss, reincarnation bits for Kashi.
Kashi was stunned.
"Grade 0 ultimate secret—Pope-only."
"Hickzen Group protection fee."
Amon waived much of Hickzen's fee for Vatican privileges, including access to the Pope's sole secrets.
"Don't worry. I have plans."
Other perks made it fine.
"Sonia knows. I'll tell you later."
Anyway, Balam was human-turned-demon.
Patterns matched the game, so it was manageable. Reality added quirks, but mostly counterable. His frenzy charge on sight, limb-peeling show—all deliberate.
"You spotted the pentagram before his face and charged, right?" Sonia noted from the side, but yeah.
"Anyway, what were we discussing?"
"Right. Balam's 51st hierarchy. 51st of the Saint's 72 demon followers."
"Super weak."
Not trash mob, but early-game boss in Punk City 1.
Compared to later ones...
Punk City 1 was an open-world boss-rush. Roam free, endless bosses. First game, botched balance, tons of hate. Balam was infamous as the Demon of Refunds.
Sniped by mini-cross in a blink at first. Amon leaned on him pre-vet status.
Executive-level as the weakest, with 50 stronger in one org. Kashi's face darkened.
"Way short."
Seventy left, probably. If they swarmed seriously, the company vanishes quick.
They won't, though. No worries. They had to lurk.
"Times have changed."
They ruled by fear when elites were rare. Now, pros mass-produced via procedures—no room for old glory. 72 with executive+ power? Threat to one corp, not world-enders.
Destroy a company openly? Every other corp unites against them, past be damned. They'd face a megacorp alliance. Knowing this, they puppeteered Neville from shadows.
"Don't sweat it too much."
No 70-strong swarm coming. They knew their place.
Quiet till world-end power—DLC or hidden boss tier.
Amon reassured Kashi with that certainty.
"I have plans. No need to worry yet."
"Name? Suddenly?"
"Ah..."
Might differ this time, but Amon recalled the name he knew.
"Goetia."
The demons who once nearly ended the world.
Report done, Amon moved to end the video call. But Kashi stopped him.
"...Should I step out?"
Amon's lips tightened, guessing her intent. As Kashi said, no secrets between him and Sonia—save his reincarnation, post-that-promise.
So he knew what she'd say.
"Go on."
"..."
Kashi steadied her breath, glimpsing Sonia's thread of fate. Whatever she saw filled her eyes with resolve as she addressed Sonia.
"...Thanks."
Sonia glanced at Amon. He shrugged in reply.
On-screen, Kashi advised Sonia.
With that, Kashi ended the feed like business concluded.
Before fully disconnecting, Amon leaned into the mic.
"Whoa, you sounded like a prophet just now."
"Were you?"
Amon chuckled, cutting the call. He extended a hand to Sonia.
"Dinner?"
Sonia swallowed an reflexive apology, uttering their promised words instead.
"Thanks for waiting. Really."
"No big deal."