Kapitel 13: Joseph’s Stand

Before he became the priest known as Father Joseph he was simply known as Stefan Joseph. Stefan was born in Poland and grew up in a relatively normal household up until his 17th year. While travelling through the countryside with his family they were attacked by a group of vampires. He witnessed the death of his mother and father at the hands of the creatures but he himself survived. This was not due to a miracle but rather they wanted to save him as a food source for later. He was knocked out and stuffed in the trunk of his family's car before being driven out to a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.

Once there they locked him up in a cage in the basement along with several others they had kidnapped. Stefan spent days in that basement under poor conditions, being given the bare minimum to survive and ever so often being taunted by the vampires. During that time the number of prisoners dwindled until only he was left. Before they could get to him however the vampires were attacked by a group of cloaked and masked figures.

Stefan could not recount the details of that night since at that point he was out of his mind with delirium and malnutrition. What was apparent however was that whoever dealt with the vampires facilitated his rescue for when next he woke he found himself in a hospital. He was informed by the hospital that he was the victim of a human trafficking ring. Of course telling them that his family was killed by a group of vampires who kidnapped him and several others to feed on over the course of several days only got him sedated and handcuffed to the bed while he recovered.

Stefan was not in a good place but thankfully his ravings were brushed off as symptoms of psychological trauma he certainly had. When he eventually regained his wits the fear and anxiety gave way to anger and frustration. He didn't believe for one second that what he experienced was anything caused by delirium. He wanted answers which he eventually did receive in the form of a visiting priest by the name of Father Edward Malac.

At first it seemed to Stefan that Edward only came to him to explain to him his status as an orphan. However as they continued to speak Stefan found himself confiding in the man about his misgivings about the situation. Eventually he flat out denied that there was ever a human trafficking ring and explained as best he could about what he knew to have really happened. When he spoke of the vampires he spoke of them not with fear and apprehension but with anger and vitriol. Things took a turn after that but not in the way Stefan expected. More questions came but they were pointed, personal and even philosophical at some points.

Then the priest asked a strange question "what would you do if those monsters turned out to be real?"

And to that question he gave his honest answer "I'd make sure no one ever has to go through what I did."

After that Father Malac revealed that Stefan's claims were indeed true and as evidence he showed the young man a symbol he recognized well even if his memories were hazy. It was the same symbol he saw one of his rescuers clothes. Father Malac turned out to be a representative of the organization the group belonged to, specifically he is a recruiter sent to assess Stefan himself. The young man managed to impress Father Malac enough that the old priest extended an invitation which Stefan gladly accepted.

And so began Stefan Joseph's training as an agent of the Holy Order of Templar Knights under the Catholic Church.

The first thing he learned was that vampires were not the only creatures of myth to exist and Stefan was thoroughly educated on the hidden supernatural world. He also learned the true role of the major religions and how their agents have been combating the supernatural creatures that prey on humans for thousands of years. His adventures took him across Europe and to various other places across the globe culminating in over thirty years of service.

Eventually through a multitude of incidents and experience combined with his growing age Stefan grew disillusioned with the Templar Knights and sought retirement. His final mission was to investigate a potential vampire uprising in Korea and to quell it if possible. He failed in the latter as the existence of vampires was eventually revealed creating a domino effect as vampires (and only vampires) went public. Things became very chaotic immediately afterwards and Stefan used the chaos to his advantage choosing to remain in Korea as his retirement destination and slip into relative obscurity.

He found life in the country to be idyllic despite being a foreigner. With the reveal of vampires and the rampant attacks his church became something of a refuge for the people. One day he made an incredible discovery when he encountered a little girl lying on the side of the road injured and covered in blood. At first he thought her to be another victim of the rampant vampire attacks at the time but as it turned out the little girl was actually a vampire herself and not just any Common Blood or even a Noble Blood but an honest-to-God Pureblood.

Despite his thirty years dealing with the supernatural Stefan has never encountered a Pureblood directly. He has read about them, seen the aftermath of a battle involving one and even saw one at a distance which was harrowing at the time. The church considers them among the most dangerous creatures in the world and a genuine threat to humanity. Upon confirming her status as Pureblood everything in his training and experience told him to end the girl's life or at the very least inform the church of her existence. He would have done it too however a single look into her eyes swayed his decision. In that moment he just could not see her as anything more than a scared and confused child who had clearly been through a traumatic event.

In the end Stefan chose to adopt and raise her as his daughter whilst keeping he rtrue identity a secret. He made an oath to himself to protect her from harm and ensure her safety. An oath he found more and more difficult to fulfill as she grew older. Her teenage years were particularly trying but he managed to get through it without too much of an incident though there was much awkwardness when she hit him with certain questions he had no choice but to pawn off to some women in his congregation. Beyond that he passed onto her certain skills and knowledge from his days as a templar knight as he was not deluded enough to think she would have a normal life indefinitely.

In the background he used his personal skills and accumulated wealth to establish connections and create his own network that has kept him abreast of the supernatural situation both in and out of Korea. Stefan thought he had all his bases covered and that just by laying low he, Soyun and the twins would be safe, he was wrong. Now confronted with the reality of the Noble Bloods not only knowing about her but spying on all of them there was only one thing can do…

Present Day…

*Bang*

The vampire whom he presumed to be the leader of the group avoided the shot however Stefan wasn't aiming at him and another vampire got hit in the stomach.

"Argh!"

"Shit, you bastard!" a female vampire yelled as she charged at him claws first.

Stefan shot at her causing her to slow her pace to dodge the shots. Even then she moved faster than a normal human eye could perceive. Stefan is not a regular human and this is not the first time he's fought vampires. Compared to some of the dire situations he's been through in past decades this did not even crack his top five. At the last minute before her claws could reach him he ducked under the swipe and slashed his sword across her exposed stomach.

His blade cut deep enough to draw blood and it elicited a scream from the vampire who abruptly fell to her knees clutching her stomach.

"Jung-Ahn!" the leader shouted.

Stefan after cutting her stomach spun in one smooth motion and leveled the weapon at her back before pulling the tripper.

*Bang*

The kick back rattled his arm some however the result was the vampire's back blowing open before turning to dust as her heart exploded in her chest.

"No!"

Stefan dived out the way in time to avoid the charge of several vampires. As he rolled into a crouch he reached into one of the many pockets lining the inside of his trench coat and tossed out a cylindrical object into the group of vampires.

*Clang*

Stefan turned away just before the flash bang went off using his cloak as a shield as well as pulling two grenades from one of the coat pockets. After tossing them into the group of disoriented vampires he made a run for it into a narrow alleyway. Stefan sheathed his short sword before adjusting the duffle bag on his shoulder as he ran. He could hear shouting a distance away and even the sound of rapid steps behind him. Unfortunately for the vamps the entire neighborhood was built like a maze and Stefan had almost a decade to familiarize himself with them.

He noticed shadows pass overhead before a vampire dropped down looking pissed. The vampire attacked with a telegraphed punch which Stefan redirected stabbing the blade of his sword into the vampire's arm pinning it to the wall.

"Aargh!" screamed the vampire with an expression of pain and shock.

Before the vampire could react further Stefan put the muzzle of the desert eagle to his chest and blew it apart leaving only dust and a partly shredded suit jacket in his wake. He turned and gave a few more shots to approaching vampires while backing up before turning a corner. As he ran he sheathed his sword to reload his gun quickly switching out the magazine and storing the empty one in a separate pocket.

"Cut him off!"

The shout is preceded by two vampires dropping in front of him. Stefan just about lined his sights when the vampire did something unexpected and tossed a garbage can at him. The thing flew with the force of a bullet forcing Stefan to raise his hand up in defense but the impact still sent sprawling on the ground. Still he recovered enough that he immediately aimed his gun with both hands to steady his aim and managed to get a shot off at the approaching vampires.

*Bang*

He managed to get a shot off kneecapping one causing him to fall. He then aimed at the other only for a boot to kick the gun out of his hand and a moment later Stefan was grabbed by the back of his collar and tossed out the alley and into the middle of the street landing on his back. He was getting his bearings when the leader vampire appeared before him.

"Enough of this!" snarled the vampire and slammed his fist into Stefan's chest.

Stefan's body was launched further down and his body slammed into the wall driving the wind out of him. Such a blow should have broken bones and pulped organs if not outright kill him however under his clothes Stefan wore a specially made plated high impact armor vest. Also the duffel bag on his back absorbed a good deal of the impact though he still gained multiple contusions.

"Koff!" Stefan coughed as he stumbled to his feet.

Looking around he saw that he was now surrounded by the vampires and his hand reached into his coat pocket. Before he could pull out his latest weapon however the vampire leader clamped a hand down with near bone crushing force while his other hand hoisted the priest by the throat.

"The boss said not to kill you if we can help it" the vampire leader snarled with his red eyes burning in annoyance.

As he spoke he forcefully pulled Stefan's hand from the coat to reveal him holding another canister in a shaky grip.

The vampire snorted and continued "but he didn't say anything about injuries."

And with those words there was an audible *Crunch* of bones being broken as the vampire slowly crushed the man's wrist. To his credit Stefan only let out a muffled grunt of pain as he dropped the thing in his hand. It turned out to be gas canister and the moment it hit the ground it began rapidly spewing a cloud of what looked like smoke which the vampire didn't think much of until it reached his nose.

"Eurgh!" the vampire immediately let go of the human as he clutched his throat choking on the very air itself.

The vampires closest to him found themselves in the same boat as they began hacking, coughing and choking.

This caused the rest to back away with on shouting "don't go near the smoke!"

Stefan ended up popping two more canisters and as the smoke spread with seemingly no sign of stopping the vampires leapt back, stumbled away or in the case of the leader was dragged away. Eventually the smoke enveloped Stefan covering him from view but even then the vampires heard sounds within the smokescreen. Moments later Stefan stepped out of the smoke carrying an odd looking weapon. It bore some resemblance to an assault rifle however instead of magazine at its bottom it had a small tank attached at the top.

Stefan only said one thing as he aimed the weapon at the gathered group of vampires.

"Burn!"

A moment later a large stream of napalm fire enveloped the nearest vampires burning them alive. He targeted the vampires who were still recovering from the gas first. He specifically ensured that the leader was enveloped in flames. A few of the vampires attempted to hit him from various angles thinking he had a blindspot.

'Amateurs'

Their attempts are as transparent as the fact that they've never had to fight someone like him. It is very clear that these vampires in their entire existence only had to contend with weak humans and other vampires. They rely more on their vampire abilities and physical might than their wits which is the weakness of most Common Blood.

'I should be able to finish the rest of them with the fuel I have' Stefan was very careful in his use of the flamethrower.

*Bang*

"…!" the familiar distant sound of a gunshot rang a tenth of a second before a bullet whizzed by his head and put a hole in the wall behind him.

With a mental curse Stefan took evasive action, strafing away from the direction where the shots came from. Once he got to cover he aimed the flamethrower and shot a stream of fire in the direction of the shots only for a bullet to clip the edge of the fuel tank

'Damn!'

With a curse Stefan immediately threw the damaged flamethrower in the direction of the shots and hid behind cover just as an explosion occurred. It wasn't a big thing but he hoped whoever shot at him got hit.

"Whew~ that certainly has a kick to it!" came a familiar voice that had Stefan once again inwardly curse.

As he peeked around the corner he sees two silhouettes each with seeming glowing red eyes. They turned out to be a pair of big, burly and suited vampires who look they can and will fold a grown man like a twig. Yet despite how intimidating they seemed to Joseph they are almost an afterthought to the third figure emerging from the flames whilst giving slow claps.

"Su~perb, Ama~zing" he sang with a pleased closed eye smile "you managed to take them out all by yourself. Not even the army gave us so much trouble."

Then Ji-Hae's eyes peeked open and they began to glow with a sinister red glow.

"I should expect no less from a Templar Knight even if you are technically retired, Stefan Joseph."

~To Be Continued~