Title: Arc's Crusade Continue
Rating: T for violence and swearing.
Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. Diablo III belongs to Blizzard.
Warning: AU Crusader Jaune Arc. Violence, swearing.
Summary: Immediately after Malthael's painful death, there was a tear that lead to entirely different world. Diablo's soul fled into it, followed by a Crusader. Accidentally pushed by Imperius.
Chapter 1: Imperius! You Golden So-
"Ugh..." A male Crusader groaned as he slowly turned his head, only to loudly hissed in pain. A body-wide agony announcing its presence to his mind with his muscles screaming holy obscenity, organs protesting. Oh, he's in great pain as a consequence of...Something. Well, he doesn't remembe-Oh never mind, he remembered! He literally crashed straight into the land from sky!
"Well...Now I know how Tyrael feel." A blond Crusader mused after the pain died down with his head on pillow and-Wait a minute, pillow? He swore at high volume as soon as he positioned himself in sitting mode, clutching his sides. Ignoring the pain, he look around to see that he is in decent size wooden room with minimal number of wooden furniture such as a wooden bed, a nearby wooden small table with some sort of potions and bandage, an empty wooden chair next to it, and tidy looking window.
Basically no difference from any other healing station he has been to. It seems someone found and likely moved him to nearby town for healing. He relaxed slightly as he proceed to examine himself. Well, it is what he expected from being a falling star as he remembered seeing and feeling fire engulfing him. He could feel his skin still heated and painfully looking as angry as red demons and beasts slayed by his holy weapon and shield in Hell.
"Wait...Where is my holy weapon and shield! And my holy armor!" a blond Crusader thought with an alarm. Well, that is not to say he is helpless without his weapon and armor. After all, his former instructors ensured that with painful incentives. His twin sister helped too, usually in dodging and speed with her throwing stuffs. In return, he helped her with shield defense by swinging his flail at her.
"Johanna." He frowned as he thought about his twin and the event leading him being pushed into some sort of tear showing a different world containing bizarre shape of landmass. Resulting him falling from extremely high height with his vision blurred due to him falling so fast that his armored body ended up burning up.
Last time he remembered, Johanna and Valla the Demon Hunter decided to stay behind to hold off a ravenous horde of Reapers while he and a Necromancer confronted Malthael the Angel of Death. At the thought of Malthael, his frown became more visible. After a said angel stupidly broke the Black Soulstone and stupidly absorbed Diablo's soul, he and a Necromancer proceed to deliver numerous soul-crushing blows on Malthael.
He could only make angry gurgling sound, feeling how sore his throat is. Why his throat so sore? Ah, that's right he remembered. In his holy outrage, he has been screaming as loud as a Siegebeast while falling from sky. But why? Oh, that's right! He was too busy cursing at Imperius, a moronic golden armored imbecile whose title is 'Archangel of Valor'.
"Ha! Of Valor, my arse!" A blond Crusader snorted out loud, not caring he did so in uncivilized manner. Getting used to sore throat, he continued his recollection. Oh yes, Imperius. After he landed the final blow with his holy flail against his deathly foe, there was a bright light followed by the sight of Malthael suffering a well-deserved agonizing death (in his opinion). Followed by another holy damning blinding light, there was a sort of hole in tear shape in air and before he knew it, he unexpectedly heard that golden imbecile's booming voice, "AFTER THE DEMON SCUM!" and got-
"That Imperius...He pushed me. HE PUSHED ME!" Blond Crusader became furious as he pondered why Imperius showed up. Last time he checked, Imperius left him and fellow Nephalems to deal with Malthael and his Reapers alone. That damn angel, he deduced, must've changed his mind and showed up just in time to see that damned Diablo's soul escaping into a tear hole. Screaming his head off, Imperius must've flew toward a tear and being an imbecile, he failed to see him! A blond hair Crusader himself in bulky armor! How did Imperius not see him?
Unable to contain his righteous wrath and temporarily forgetting his martial discipline, a blond Crusader roared as he faced the wooden ceiling, "IMPERIUS! YOU WILL SUFFER FOR THIS! BY THE LIGHT, I WILL BURN YOU! YOU HEAR ME!" He failed to hear a wooden door open slightly only to make weak 'meep' sound before closing.
Continuing his rant to the ceiling, "I WILL SMITE YOU WITH MY HOLY FLAIL! I DO NOT CARE WHAT JOHANNA AND TYRAEL WILL SAY, YOU WILL BURN! YOU GOLDEN SO-" His rant got cut off when he heard a male voice, "WHOA WHOA BUDDY! STOP SCREAMING!"
Alarmed and ignoring the pain, a blond Crusader immediately hopped off the bed in unarmed combat stance, staring at a blond hair middle age man with short beard (a human, much to his inner relief) in strange outfit holding his hands in placating manner. There's something about him striking familiar feeling to blond Crusader, making him confused. Familiar? How can that be when he is in different world?
Still in combat stance, he asked warily, "Who are you? Was it you who found me?"
"Actually my daughter found you first but I and others carried you to Fleurdeau while my daughters dra-ahem- carried your weapon and shield." A beard man look around before continuing with a mirth, "A heck of workout you gave us heh heh. Especially my daughters."
Sadly for him, it went over a blond Crusader's head by judging his still wary expression which is rather disturbing as his battle scarred face reminded the beard man of someone he knew, but unsure who. Clearing his throat, a beard man introduced himself, "The name's Jonquil and ah..welcome to our home in Fleaurdeau. Got a name buddy?" He has a friendly smile as to ease an injured man who fell from the sky.
Jonquil held his hand out for handshake to a blond Crusader who frowned as he has no idea what does 'buddy' means before easing himself before grasping his hand, shaking as he finally stated his name.
"You have my gratitude Jonquil. I am Jaune...Jaune Arc."
The handshake halted after few seconds of shaking before disengaging as Jaune watched Jonquil's smile disappeared with his skin paled. Letting out a weak strained laugh, Jonquil said, "J-Jau-Heh...That's funny.." He seemed to be studying Jaune's face and hair closely. Shaved hair of blond color reminding him of his wife and blue eyes reminding him of his own. Not to mention his nose and cheekbones.
Feeling little uncomfortable at Jonquil's stare, Jaune asked, "Funny? How so?"
"That was my s-" Jonquil's voice croaked with pain. The pain Jaune witnessed many times on people when bearing the news of their relative's and friend's death. Whatever Jonquil was about to finish, a young female voice called out, "Dad? Are you there? Dad!"
Both men turned their head to see a teenage girl with short light blond hair as well as wearing strange outfit, "Err..heh heh, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt your...err..." Her voice died off at the sight of a blond hair stranger's facial expression shifting from wary to stupefied. As if he couldn't believe what or rather, who he is seeing. It's strange to see such expression on intimidating looking man taller and bulkier than her dad. And has the look of warrior who has been through countless battles.
"He look about 30 something years old." A girl mused, studying a stranger, "Or maybe 25 or so."
"No..That can't be! She's still in Sanctuary! Still holding out against those Reapers!" Jaune's mind screamed as he stared at younger version of his twin sister. Was the tear a portal to past? Did she jumped into the tear to follow him and got reverted to younger age? Is he still unconscious due to demonic machination that's making his mind re-creating his memory in twisted attempt to make him open to demonic influence?
"J-Johanna?"
"Uhh...No? I'm Janna. Janna Arc. Short and sweet, that's right!" Janna Arc flashed her confident grin with her clean white teeth being displayed, feeling pleased at how she handled it. That should make it less-Never mind, that didn't work. That stupefied expression still on intimidating looking stranger.
Janna look between her dad and a blond stranger, thinking, "Uh okay. Wow. Awkward." Why her dad look like he's about to cry? Perhaps she should exit out slowly and get back to her sisters. Yeah, that's a good idea.
Her idea got squashed as soon as she saw a stranger's face shifted into snarling and her father got punched in face.
"YOU CAN'T FOOL ME!" A stranger roared.
AN:
That's right, Jaune Arc is a Crusader-class Nephalem from Sanctuary. Similar to its Remnant counterpart, the Arc family in Sanctuary is known for producing highly skilled warriors, usually Crusaders and Paladins. His Remnant counterpart's name is still Jaune Arc.
If curious about what his armor look like, it's same as in Blizzard's Crusader concept art with bulky gray armor, white cloth containing 3 prongs candle thingie symbol. Only difference is no pennant attached to his back. When not wearing armor, Jaune has same outfit as male Crusader when visiting New Tristram for first time.
Yes, Johanna (name of female Crusader) is Jaune's twin sister older by 4 minutes and obviously a Nephalem in this story. Her Remnant counterpart's name is Janna Arc and her and Jaune's father name is Jonquil. Both Janna and Jonquil are shades of yellow.
Couldn't find name of Jaune's hometown on official RWBY or its wiki. So I decided to use Fleuerdeau (fleur d'eau is French for water flower, couple websites mentioned water flower when researching flowers in Domremy, Joan's birthplace in real life) as name of Jaune's hometown in this story. For this story and using RWBY map of continent, I'm making Fleuerdeau located on Sanus continent, 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Vale City.