Cruxer is a Blackguard and member of Kip Guile's squad: The Mighty. He is a blue/green bichrome drafter. When Kip joined the Blackguard training, Cruxer was ranked #1 in the class, out of 49.
Cruxer is a one of the "legacies" in his and Kip's training group, along with Rig, Aram, and Tana. Fisk states that Cruxer is a third-generation Blackguard.
He is a deeply religious young man, always making the sign of the seven, a salute to Orholam, before sparring matches during Blackguard training, and sometimes afterward as well.
During battle, Cruxer wields a double-ended spear/polearm that is held together in the center with blue luxin, allowing him to quickly separate the two halves and use them as swords/daggers.
The Blinding Knife[]
Cruxer is first seen when Kip joins the Blackguard trainees, ranked number 1 in his class. Cruxer recognizes his skill as both a fighter and a leader, and begins to take on some responsibility for his fellow squad mates, taking Kip and Lucia in particular under his wing. Cruxer is highly skilled in all forms of combat, including weapons, drafting, and hand-to-hand.
Cruxer has a close relationship with Lucia and gives her extra training sessions in the hope she would be able to finish Blackguard training. During one of the Blackguard training exercises Lucia is killed by an assassin with a pistol who was aiming for Kip. Cruxer is devastated by her death and takes personal responsibility for keeping her in the Blackguard longer than she would have otherwise.
Cruxer has a very deep-seated sense of honor, and will harshly (but not cruelly,) punish those who act dishonorably. During the final testing to determine who of the Blackguard trainees would move on to become Blackguards, it became apparent that there was a conspiracy to keep Kip from making the cut, orchestrated by Barrel, Balder, Erato, and Aram. For Aram, the leader of the group, this was even more dishonorable than the others because Aram is a fellow Blackguard legacy. Kip deduces and tells Cruxer and Teia that none of the conspirators are smart enough to have devised this plan, so someone else must have masterminded it and bribed the four trainees to carry it out (almost certainly Andross Guile, a fact which is later confirmed by Andross.) At the end of the fighting, Cruxer is ranked #1, Aram is in the top 14 who are slotted to move on, and Kip is ranked #15. In part as retribution for Aram's part in the conspiracy against a fellow Blackguard (trainee,) partly because Cruxer does not want someone in the Blackguard who would turn against his fellows for money, and partly to allow Kip to make the cut, he dispenses justice to Aram himself. As soon as the testing is declared over (i.e. as soon as he cannot be expelled for what he is about to do,) Cruxer delivers a lightning-fast, powerful kick to Aram's knee, breaking it by forcing it to bend backward, and crippling the knee. This knocks Aram out of the finalists, as well as ensuring that he will not be able to join the next Blackguard class, since such injuries will not heal properly and Aram will never be able to fight again. As a result, Kip is moved up to the fourteenth spot and joins the group of trainees who made the cut to become Blackguards.
Immediately after crippling Aram, Cruxer says the following:
"I've wanted to be a Blackguard since I could walk. I value this brotherhood too highly to let in a man who destroys unity rather than builds it, a man who takes money to destroy one of his own. If the cost to remove him from the Blackguard is that I, too, am expelled, so be it. [...] Aram's the second best fighter in our class. He took money to finish low. He took money to keep Breaker out."
In response to Cruxer revealing his crimes, Aram shouts that Kip is not "one of them" due to being Tyrean, and that he would have done it for free, in the process not only admitting to cheating, but to accept a bribe to do so. As a result, Aram is shamed, Cruxer retains his position as part of the group to move on to become Blackguards (and his first-place ranking,) and Kip is allowed to move on as well as the fourteenth trainee.
Cruxer joins Kip, Gavin, Ironfist, Karris, and a small group of Blackguards as they thin out pirates prior to the battle of Ru. Cruxer revels in being able to use his skills in real battle.
The Broken Eye[]
Cruxer is the leader of Aleph squad, the number one squad among the Blackguard Trainees. Cruxer is offered full Blackguard membership very early in his training but Cruxer refuses the promotion. He takes his leadership role seriously, prioritizing the development of his squad over his personal career. After the events of the Battle of Ru Cruxer now firmly believes that Kip is the Lightbringer, and he works continuously to help Kip and the rest of Aleph squad to become the best team they can be. When Teia finds out the Order of the Broken Eye has ordered Kip's assassination by two traitors within the Blackguard, Cruxer works with Teia and Winsen to hunt down the traitors, Buskin and Lytos, saving Kip in the process.
After Andross banishes Kip from the Chormeria along with his squad, which he calls 'The Mighty', Cruxer chooses to quit the Blackguard, leaving behind the career he has trained for his whole life in order to join Kip in his banishment. Soon after Zymun orders the Lightguard to kill Kip, Cruxer leads his squad through the Chromeria, battling Lightguards and seeking an exit. After fighting their way to the roof of the Prism's tower, Cruxer and the rest of the Mighty zipline down to the docks to set off to Blood Forest with Kip and Tisis.
The Blood Mirror[]
After The Mighty left the Chromeria to battle the Color Prince in the Blood Forest Satrapy, Cruxer becomes the de-facto unit commander of the Mighty, as Kip steps into the role of general of the larger army. Along with Kip, Cruxer is The Mighty's main tactician and strategist, and is a natural leader.
Cruxer works closely with Kip to navigate the many challenges the Mighty encounter as they travel to and fight through Blood Forest.
The Burning White[]
After an assassination attempt on Kip's life, Cruxer and the Mighty begin to bring on new members to their squad, recognizing the five of them are spread to thin to properly protect Kip and also handle their other duties. Cruxer recruits and trains the new members of the Mighty while also working alongside Kip and Tisis to plan their next moves with their forces.
After Kip figures out they need to go to the Chromeria instead of marching on Green Haven, Cruxer helps to organize the elite squads of Kip's forces to skim quickly to the Chromeria. After arriving at the Chromeria and helping Kip set up a base, Cruxer finds out from Teia that Ironfist has secretly been a member of the Order of the Broken Eye, and that he has become King of Paria.
Cruxer leaves his post defending Tisis at the safe house to confront Ironfist, catching the new King of Paria just as he is trying to gain access to the color prisons beneath the Chromeria. Cruxer is irate and unable to be reasoned with, getting more and more angry with Ironfist as the older man tries to explain that he is trying to save Gavin and has White Luxin as proof. After Ironfist accidentally reveals he is wearing an Orange Seed Crystal, Cruxer draws his sword and attacks.
In a brief but brutal few seconds of combat Cruxer scores a near-fatal blow on Ironfist, but takes a bullet in the chest in the process, causing him to stumble and eventually bleed out. Cruxer dies as Ironfist desperately attempts to show Cruxer the White Luxin in his bag as proof he was telling the truth.
Trivia[]
- Cruxer has a Black Card: The Commander
- Cruxer's halos are horizontal and vertical lines in his irises that grow in width