Tyler Spruce

*"To be added."*
―To be added.[src]
**Tyler Spruce** is a former United States Marine and smuggler who suffers from PTSD, and hearing loss. Spruce lost his only children and his beloved wife to their zombified dog during the Wildfire and *Cordyceps Brain Infection* outbreak, which began a difficult and spiteful relationship with the undead, whom he would begin to hunt down and assassinate. Spruce grew bitter and violent, and became a mercenary, completely impeding Tyler for several years. This changed when Bobby joined N.E.X.U.S., assisting them with their plans and proving himself extremely useful. He was eventually elected as the organization's Head of Security, controlling the militant group and asset recovery, as well as striking fear into their governed neighborhood and preventing rebellions. Tyler became allies and even close friends with his coworkers, including Olivera Costa, during his time with N.E.X.U.S.

## Personality

*"To be added."*
―To be added.[src]
Tyler was a loving and caring father and brother prior to the outbreak, working long hours to provide for his family and ensure work was available for his brother. Tyler was selfless, preferring that those around him focus on themselves rather than him, and he despised the idea of celebrating his birthday instead of preparing his children for school.

Tyler is a father figure at heart, with an inherently protective nature over those he cares for and protects, but he does so through dark and violent means. Tyler believed that his main purpose was to help those who relied on him, especially those he considered family.

When the outbreak began, Tyler demonstrated his protective nature by leaving the safety of his home to assist his brother in escaping the city's chaos. He then returned home to save his wife and children from infected neighbors, making the difficult decision to use violence to protect those he cared about. Tyler disliked relying on others as a result, preferring to be the protector, instinctively telling his brother what to do during their escape and personally protecting his wife and children when attempting to flee the city.

Tyler saw his life's purpose (protecting his wife and children) as lost after losing them. He later decided to commit suicide. When the attempt failed, he decided to continue living in order to protect his brother, later stating that he believed it was his duty to protect his family, which he failed because his brother was killed by a walker.

Tyler began to emotionally close off and distance himself from others over time. Tyler gradually became more emotionally open after joining N.E.X.U.S. and meeting Olivera Costa. While Tyler initially tried to keep a distance, Olivera's joy in assisting others prompted Tyler to risk opening up emotionally again, the man even allowing himself to laugh at her jokes and share history from his past. His protective nature grew even stronger towards the young woman, with him doing everything he could to protect her from the horrors of the apocalypse and even killing others to keep her safe. Tyler developed feelings of guilt as a result of his inability to save his brother. He also felt guilty for failing to prevent Olivera from killing others. Tyler's guilt stemmed from his belief that no one should have to experience violence, particularly murder, revealing a loss of his ability to connect with others as a result of his experience with violence.

Tyler's goodness and desire to protect others, on the other hand, meant that he was capable of a deep and intense darkness manifested through violence. Tyler became withdrawn, callous, and immoral after the death of his wife and children. He prioritized survival above all else, committing atrocities against innocent people in the name of survival and protecting his brother, both of which he failed to do. His grief over his family's death may cause him to act erratically and illogically, as when he was reminded of how an armed walker had murdered his brother years before, and killed Morgan Willis in cold blood when the latter reminded him of it.

Tyler would refuse to even discuss those he had lost, including people he loved, such as his brother and, especially, his wife and children. He also became paranoid about connecting with others, purposefully avoiding close relationships with those other than the Big Boss and only trading with Olivera with caution. Tyler saw these actions as necessary, willingly separating from others in order to ensure his own survival.

Tyler's hardened exterior made him a feared man, with people living in the N.E.X.U.S. headquarters afraid to cross him or even talk to him, with Olivera commenting that he had developed "an asshole voice." Others would describe him as "crazy" because of how he killed people. His sheer ferocity when storming rogue survivors caused armed survivors to cower and flee. Tyler even implied that Celina was wary of him and thought him to be "the wrong sort of people" based on his morally dubious choices. However, it also drew him admiration, with many people viewing him as a capable fighter and protector, even if Tyler didn't personally believe this.

Tyler's acceptance of Olivera as practically family increased his ability to protect her, but it also increased his dissociative and dark demeanor. Notably, when the Raiders look down on her, Tyler is inspired to fight on and live, making it his mission to save and protect Olivera at all costs. This renewed sense of purpose also meant that he used his violent means, such as torture and killing, again, but this time to help save others rather than just himself.

Despite this, Tyler maintained a dissociated and apathetic attitude toward others, killing cannibals he encountered with a blood lust and disregard for their lives. Furthermore, when the Big Boss revealed his plans to study Olivera in order to develop a vaccine, Tyler mercilessly killed numerous N.E.X.U.S. agents at the headquarters in order to protect Olivera, forcing them to recruit more. He even executed the co-surgeon and nearly killed the Big Boss without hesitation, revealing that his cold-blooded nature was at its strongest when he was committed to saving those he truly loved.

## Attributes

### Abilities

* **Peak Human Condition** - To be added.
	+ **Peak Human Strength** - To be added.
	+ **Peak Human Durability** - To be added.
	+ **Peak Human Recovery** - To be added.
* **Master Martial Artist** - Tyler is a former United States Marine and one of N.E.X.U.S.'s best fighters, if not the best, in martial arts. He was chosen as Head of Security because he could go toe-to-toe with bigger and stronger men in the mess hall, easily overpowering them and sparing their lives. Eskrima, Pencak Silat, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are among his fighting styles. Tyler is also a dangerous fighter, having been described as a "crazy man" while also maintaining his skill superiority in N.E.X.U.S. He is a very aggressive hand-to-hand fighter because, in his mind, everyone he fights is the same creature that killed his brother, as well as his wife and children. His movements have been described as unfathomably quick and brutal, as well as fluid and street-fight realistic. Tyler frequently disarms his enemies, including a swarm of fast melee wielding zombies and rogue survivors.
	+ **Knife Mastery** - To be added.
	+ **Master Marksman** - Tyler is an extremely skilled marksman, capable of handling firearms with remarkable precision, even rivaling Dawn Whittiker, who is a far more capable sniper.
* **Expert Assassin** - To be added.
* **Expert Tactician** - To be added.
* **Master Interrogator** - To be added.
	+ **Master Torturer** - To be added.
* **Expert Craftsman** - Despite having little experience crafting his own weapons, Tyler created his own sniper that he kept beneath a dock.
* **Master Survivor** - To be added.
* **Stealth Mastery** - He is skilled with chokeholds and stealth, being able to creep up on a human and infect them without them noticing.
* **Intimidation** - Tyler Spruce has an intimidating presence due to their quiet but ruthless natures and superiority over the majority of their enemies.
* **Bilingualism** - Spruce is both native English and Spanish speakers.

### Weaknesses

* **Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)** - To be added.
* **Panic Attacks** - To be added.
* **Hearing Loss** - Tyler has a partial hearing loss in his right ear.

## Equipment

### Weapons

* **Smith & Wesson Model 500** - To be added.
* **M16 Rifle** - To be added.
* **Personalized Sniper** - To be added.
* **Combat Knife** - To be added.

### Other Equipment

* **Backpack** - To be added.
	+ **Ration Stamps** - To be added.

## Relationships

* Wife †
* Children †
* Celina Bradley - Sister-in-Law

Allies* N.E.X.U.S.
	+ Big Boss - Superior and Former Attempted Victim
	+ Olivera Costa - Co-Worker, Doctor and Close Friend
* Raiders - Subordinates
	+ Shortstack † - Former Pet and Victim
* Morgan Willis † - Victim
* Bobby Bradley
* Charlotte Mildred
* Dawn Whittiker
* Jordan Hopkins
* Andis Whenford