Maereeta Squad

"Stroganoff"

- on the Maereeta Squad.

About
The Maereeta Squad (マエリータ隊, Maerīta-tai) is an elite Monster combat unit that is considered to be the most powerful organized force of monsters in the entire Monster Realm.

The Maereeta Squad was originally formed during the GL Era by Stroganoff, a monster in possession of both extraordinary strength and tactical ability. Stroganoff sought out monsters that had developed rare and unusual mutations to fill out the group's ranks. While these monsters were generally persecuted as outcasts by the rest of monsterkind, Stroganoff believed their unique attributes to be sources of strength that would allow them to stand above their brethren. Stroganoff's unconditional acceptance of their unusual qualities caused the mutant monsters to feel a sense of belonging for the first time in their lives, allowing them to quickly become a close-knit group united by an unbreakable bond of friendship.

Following its formation, the Maereeta Squad fought in countless conflicts, producing excellent results through a combination of its considerable strength and outstanding teamwork. Unlike other powerful monsters, who chose to transform themselves into Monster Soldiers during times of war, the members of the Maereeta Squad remained in their original bodies in order to emphasize their natural strength and showcase their mutations with pride. The countless victories that the group achieved on the battlefield, combined with their distinct and unusual appearances, caused them to quickly gain recognition from the rest of the Monster Realm, eventually reaching a point where they were declared to be the strongest monsters in existence. The mutant monsters, once viewed with scorn and mockery, were praised as heroes for their accomplishments.

At the dawn of the LP Era, the Monster Realm was divided by a civil war known as the War of the Factions, in which the Dark Lords Kayblis and Hornet fought for supremacy in the absence of the Demon King. As a result of the division, the Maereeta Squad was forced to separate. While some of the group's members chose to take part in the war, others retired from fighting altogether in order to live in seclusion, believing themselves to be incomplete without their teammates by their side.

In the year LP0007, Kayblis finally emerged victorious from the war and was recognized as leader of the Monster Realm. Immediately following his victory, Kayblis ordered a full scale invasion of the Human Realm, beginning the 2nd Dark Lord War, a climactic battle that would irreversibly alter the future of The Continent. Stroganoff, who had fought under Kayblis during the civil war, was appointed Supreme Commander of the reformed Monster Army.

During the events of Rance X, the Monster Army's invasion was complicated by the formation of Dark Lord Extermination Squad, an elite unit of the United Human Army composed almost entirely of humanity's strongest warriors and led by the warrior Rance, which was designed with the sole intention of hunting down and defeating the Dark Lords that commanded the monsters' forces. With Kayblis' permission, Stroganoff sanctioned the reformation of the Maereeta Squad, believing that a similarly elite and specialized unit was the only thing that could counteract the Dark Lord Extermination Squad. No longer capable of leading the squad himself, Stroganoff named Scholar, one of his oldest and most trusted comrades, to be the leader of its second incarnation.

After a heartfelt reunion, the reorganized Maereeta Squad immediately began work combating the Dark Lord Extermination Squad. The two groups fought countless times across the war, providing each other with a formidable challenge every time. Over the course of their many battles, the Maereeta Squad began to develop a genuine sense of respect for their human enemies, to the point of eventually beginning to question whether it was truly necessary to fight them.

Later on into the war, the Maereeta Squad was ordered by Kayblis to kidnap Kurusu Miki, the current Demon King who had refused to awaken to her title and had instead escaped into the custody of the United Human Army. Despite facing considerable opposition, the Maereeta Squad succeeded at their mission and transported Miki to Kayblis' castle. Rather than be pleased with this outcome, however, Kayblis, due to being both intensely paranoid and very cowardly, became convinced that the Maereeta Squad's strength posed a threat to him. Not wanting to risk their betrayal, Kayblis planned to kill every single member of the Maereeta Squad upon becoming Demon King.

Upon being made aware of Kayblis' intentions, the commanding members of the Maereeta Squad declared him to be a menace to all of monsterkind, and immediately began working against him. Joining together with the Dark Lord Extermination Squad, the Maereeta Squad fought Kayblis in order to free the world from his tyranny.

Following the end of the 2nd Dark Lord War, the commanding members of the Maereeta Squad began serving as leaders to the rest of monsterkind. Upon the crowning of Demon King Rance, unlike many other monster factions, the Maereeta Squad chose to recognize their former enemy as their new master, and continued to serve under him. In response to their loyalty, the Squad became valuable gatekeepers and an important force in the Monster Army of the new Demon King, with their leader Scholar getting the position of Supreme Commander of Rance's army.

Trivia

 * The Maereeta Squad is unique when compared to other enemies fought in Rance X in that its stats scale directly with the player's party rather than with the total number of Difficulty Up spaces activated. This guarantees that it will provide a formidable fight regardless of the player's current level.