Saber vs Agrias is a What-If Deathbattle created by Friendlysociopath featuring Saber from the Fate/stay series and Agrias from Final Fantasy Tactics.
Description[]
Woman that stand for what they believe in, defending these beliefs with sword and magic as the occasion requires. Both wield holy power in battle, using it to defeat dark and malevolent forces seeking to destroy the world, but what happens when light clashes with light?
Interlude[]
Whiz: The honorable and holy knight of virtue, standing steadfast against the evils of their worlds.
Boomstick: Dammit- why all the armor!?
Whiz: Arturia Pendragon from Fate/stay.
Boomstick: And Agrias Oaks from Final Fantasy Tactics.
Whiz: These two noble warriors will go head-to-head to determine who the ultimate holy knight is.
Boomstick: He's Whiz and I'm Boomstick.
Whiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, skills, and abilities to discover who would win a Deathbattle.
Arturia Pendragon (Saber)[]
Whiz: Hey Boomstick, how fond are you of the legend of King Arthur?
Boomstick: I love it! Violence, knights, maidens everywhere- what's not to like?
Whiz: Well, since you brought it up- what if Arthur himself was a girl?
Boomstick: WHAT?!
Whiz: Long ago, Arturia Pendragon walked the Earth, ruling under the guise of a man. While she accomplished many heroic deeds and battles, she eventually lost and became a 'Servant' in order to get a second chance.
Boomstick: And that's when things get weird.
Whiz: Arturia becomes a Servant, this compels her to seek out and serve a Master during the Holy Grail Wars.
Boomstick: I wish I could win the Grail, I'd have the best wish ever!
Whiz: Your Wonderwoman fanfiction becoming reality?
Boomstick: Don't judge me Whiz!
Whiz: As a Servant, Arturia, AKA Saber, has abilities on par or even exceeding that which she held in life; she's capable of fighting at extreme speeds- notably slicing apart metal simply by striking near it. Her movement speed has been compared to that of a jet in-flight, marking her as well above supersonic and possibly hypersonic. She's also managed to simultaneously deflect/dodge gunfire from two machineguns at the same time!
Boomstick: I love a girl who can kick my ass.
Whiz: Saber's physical strength is severely disproportionate to her physical form, allowing her to create massive craters via the force of her strikes as well as evenly trading with Berserker, who was cutting through solid stone with no issue. Her strength and durability both stem from the same source, her magical energy.
Boomstick: You know if she's ever low on that magical energy I could give her a bit-
Whiz: NOPE- this is a kid's show Boomstick!
Boomstick: The hell it is- they know what I'm talking about!
Whiz: Anyways, Saber's greatest strength is how much raw magical energy she has within her; she can channel it to increase nearly any parameter: speed, strength, even durability. Her armor is maintained by this energy as well, any damage to the armor requires energy from Saber to heal, as her body and armor are both comprised of this energy- hurting the armor is arguably just as effective as harming Saber herself.
Boomstick: That armor's pretty sturdy too, Saber's been cratered into the ground and walked away barely effected by it; she's even shoved a truck around as a temporary shield!
Whiz: Saber's instincts for fighting approach a supernatural level, while not outright precognition they are quite close, allowing Saber to choose a good route to victory when the option presents itself.
Boomstick: Saber, use your instincts to find me- time to unleash that dragon!
Whiz: Or Excalibur instead. Though most enemies wouldn't recognize the weapon as Saber typically has it hidden away; instead of its normal brilliance the sword instead is almost invisible in order to prevent enemies from discovering her true identity and using it against her.
Boomstick: But when it's time to throw down ohhhhhh baby!
Whiz: Excalibur is a Fortress-level Noble Phantasm of holy energy, capable of dealing massive amounts of damage to whatever Saber unleashes it against. When using it against Caster's sea monster the energy output was estimated to be over 100 megatons of TNT.
Boomstick: Maybe she isn't such a bad King Arthur after all, that's certainly one of the most badass Excaliburs I've ever seen.
Whiz: With her strength and speed plus her massive reserves of magical energy, Saber is a force to be reckoned with.
Agrias Oaks[]
Boomstick: Well, you ruined King Arthur for me, who's this girl? Merlin?
Whiz: Not exactly, in comparison to King Arthur, Agrias Oak would be closer to Galahad. She lives to serve and protect those who rule, not take the spot herself.
Boomstick: What a j-oak, the Princess she's guarding is a damn fraud.
Whiz: Agrias is a Holy Knight, allowing her to channel divine power through any sword she uses in combat to create several formidable attacks: such as Judgement Blade or Northswain's Strike (Formerly known as Stasis Sword and Crush Punch).
Boomstick: A Holier-than-thou girl who acts as a Holy Knight using a Holy Sword to empower Holy Attacks... boy that isn't a bit repetitive- at least she's dedicated to her job.
Whiz: As she should be, while trying to save the Princess Ovelia, Agrias comes across no end to demons, monsters, and malevolent humans who lust for power and destruction. And alongside her party she takes them all down, even Lucavi and Espers like Cúchulainn and Ultima.
Boomstick: "Lust" huh? Back in the Playstation days I never would've tried, but now that we've got a better pictures of her MPPH!
Whiz: Speaking of Jobs, Agrias uses the Job system of Final Fantasy Tactics; which allows her to be extremely versatile-
Boomstick: IN BED!
Whiz: IN BATTLE! The job system allows Agrias to change between available jobs- enabling her to access all manner of abilities.
Boomstick: Anything I want? Is that including whips? Because Agrias, Saber and I could totally-
Whiz: In battle! Battle-related! One more X-Joke out of you and you don't get to see the animation!
Boomstick: Guess the girls aren't the only ones with holier-than-thou attitudes...
Whiz: Alongside her fellow heroes Ramza, Russo, and Balthier; Agrias holds no small bit of power within her. While the models in-game are not scaled to one another, cutscenes would indicate she's capable of hurling back large creatures that weigh several tons at a minimum.
Boomstick: And if reaction commands are anything to judge by, she can react to lightning bolts and can deflect bullets easily- which gives her some decent speed.
Whiz: Funnily enough, probably the most potent weapon she has is her perfume.
Boomstick: ... that... has got to be the stupidest thing we've ever had to say on this show- tell me that was a joke.
Whiz: I'm afraid not, in the PSP rerelease Agrias is given an expensive and magical perfume for her birthday; it costs a whopping 50,000 gill- quite a bit considering most people's life savings in any Final Fantasy game are rarely above triple digits. And it deserves to be expensive, it grants her never-ending protection spells like Protect and Shell and a permanent Haste-buff too.
Boomstick: We're not going to go through every item she has are we?
Whiz: Oh god no, that would take forever- just going over every weapon would likely take an hour and that leaves armors, headgear, accessories, and even then we have only scratched the surface of the skills she would possibly have.
Boomstick: Oh good-
Whiz: But we can probably get away with it, starting from the top: Axes- Battle Axe-
Boomstick: You-
*Technical Difficulties sign pops onto screen as a series of 'bleeps' is heard*
*The sign shakes as several 'thuds' are heard along with a scream*
Boomstick: (breathing heavily) Agrias is going to be equipped with her own version of Excalibur, without game mechanics the armor isn't that important. And she'll have her perfume too- and DAMNED if we're going to go over all that crap!
Whiz: The combatants are locked in and we've checked the equipment thoroughly.
Boomstick: It's time for a DEATHBATTLE!
Death Battle[]
An orb of azure light blooms in an abandoned cathedral, staining the walls and windows with a brilliant blue slow as a figure appears within. As the light fades an armored girl in a blue dress stands tall, gazing about her surroundings.
Saber begins to walk forwards past many empty pews and glass windows of figures she wasn't familiar with: a samurai in blue armor with six blades... a man with a massive blade and blonde hair... a mysterious robed purple figure... She nears the end of the aisle and comes across Agrias kneeling on the floor, with a soft spotlight surrounding her.
Saber: "Why have I been brought here?"
Agrias: "Arturia Pendragon, Saber, I am here to test you."
Saber: "Test me?"
Agrias nods.
Agrias: "All heroes must face their trials, even one such as you."
Saber: "I am ready."
Agrias rises to her feat, the light disappearing.
Agrias: "Then draw your blade, young queen, and prepare yourself."
Saber enters a ready stance, bringing out her Invisible Air.
Saber: "I fear no test from man, spirit, or god."
Agrias draws her own sword.
Agrias: "Then let's begin."
Saber races forwards, a shimmer in the air the only sign of her weapon. She brings it down in a powerful overhand strike. Agrias' golden blade met the shimmer of air, blocking the blow as the concussive force cracks the stone platform they stand upon.
Saber slashes at Agrias several more times, each blow causing a ring of light to briefly emerge from the echoes of the force behind every swing. Agrias continues to block each hit. Finally, Saber gets around Agrias' guard and makes a horizontal strike at her face.
Agrias reaches an arm upward and catches the blade with her hand alone, surprising Saber.
Saber: "What?!"
Agrias: "Did you imagine this test would be easy?"
Agrias raises her weapon into the air.
Agrias: "Life is short... Bury! Steady Sword!"
Saber jumps backwards as a column of ice falls near her. She continues jumping further and further back as the ice keeps coming. After a significant distance is reached Saber crouches low and glows with energy, racing forwards at top speeds straight at Agrias.
Outside, a forest of evergreens and rabbits are at peace- and then the nearby stone wall shatters- Agrias flying through it to come to a skidding stop some distance away.
Saber is upon Agrias before she can fully recover. The two exchange a few blows before Agrias' blade glows red and she lands a blow on Saber's armor. The blow carved a chunk out of the armor before Saber's energy healed up the damage.
Saber hits Agrias hard in response, staggering her. As Agrias falls backwards Saber heaves with a mighty underhand attack, knocking Agrias up into the sky. Saber leaps upwards to strike Agrias again, hurling her onto the roof of the cathedral.
Agrias climbs to her feet as Saber lands and leaps back up towards her. Hand extended, Agrias channels her energy to use Geomancy to slow Saber down as she gets closer.
Saber manages to break free of the magic and strikes Agrias again, hurling her from the roof. Agrias lands in a lake of water before rising to the surface, badly hurt.
Saber lands on the water and points her shimmering blade at Agrias.
Saber: "Yield."
Agrias shakes her head.
Agrias: "This test... is not over."
Before Saber's eyes, Agrias' wounds begin to heal.
Saber: "Fine, I'll finish this with one blow."
Light begins emerging from the ground as Saber stands tall, her blade held aloft. She begins to walk forwards, the light causing the water to ripple and the area to be enveloped in a golden glow. Saber raises her blade higher.
Saber: "Shine once more, Excalibur!"
She brings the revealed sword downwards, firing the holy energy at Agrias.
Agrias screams as the blast eclipses the screen.
After the light fades, Saber stands alone on the lake, panting. She stiffens and looks up to see a shining light.
Agrias floats back towards the ground, all of her previous wounds gone.
Saber: "No- how is that possible?"
Agrias: "I told you-"
Agrias disappears, teleporting behind Saber.
Agrias: "Your test-"
Saber turns to strike at Agrias, who parries the blow before pushing Saber back along the lake.
Agrias: "Is not over!"
The two meet again in a fierce clashing of golden swords, dancing along the surface of the water. Saber begins to slow down, Agrias lands first one blow, then another, then another. Saber slumps to her knees as Agrias stands before her, raising her sword into the air.
Agrias: "The doom of a planet...Crush Punch!"
A crimson blade shoots up from the water, stabbing Saber through the chest.
Saber collapses to the water, shining with an inner light. Eventually a crystal is left behind.
K.O.
Agrias walks forwards and places her hand on the crystal- the light shines again and Saber reappears.
Agrias: "You have passed the test."
Saber: "What?"
Agrias bows before Saber, presenting her weapon.
Agrias: "By the grace of God, I would be your knight, if you'll have me."
Saber: "What is your name?"
Agrias: "Agrias Oaks."
Saber: "Then let us shine together Agrias, as equals."
Agrias stands, as does Saber.
The screen fades to black.
Results[]
Boomstick: Holy shit!
Whiz: Sorting through the mechanics that bind both of these characters is a bit of a chore, but we're confident we made the right choice.
Boomstick: I thought Saber had this- what gives?
Whiz: Well remember how I wanted to talk about equipment and abilities before I was interrupted?
Boomstick: I have no idea what you're talking about.
Whiz: Agrias has her own version of Excalibur, which has a somewhat unique quality of being able to absorb holy attacks- like Saber's Excaliblast. While absorbing an element could be a NLF, our research pointed out that FF12 and Tactics are the same universe, meaning elemental absorption can deal even with the powerful attacks of the Espers themselves. Enough to match that of Excalibur when used to blast an enemy.
Boomstick: So Agrias couldn't be hurt by Excalibur?
Whiz: Worse, she absorbs holy and light-based attacks, Excalibur itself would heal her when used like that; something Saber unfortunately didn't know about.
Boomstick: Damn, it's a bad sign when your trump-card actually helps your enemy.
Whiz: Not only that, but Agrias being able to use any given skill from Tactics makes her a monster in combat- she can teleport around, walking on water or lava, heal herself overtime, catch blades with her bare hands, use multiple modes of magic, turn invisible- the list goes on and on. She would have a counter for virtually any threat that went up against her.
Boomstick: But shouldn't Saber have been able to overpower her?
Whiz: For a brief time, yes, but Saber's massive reserves of energy are limited, as she fights she uses this energy up fairly quickly. Without a master or grail, she would only be able to fight for a limited duration. Against an opponent that couldn't deal with her for a long period of time this would not be an issue- but since Agrias can restore her health and mana in a variety of fashions simply through fighting, that gives her the staying power required to last long enough for Saber to use up her energy.
Boomstick: So while physically inferior to Saber, Agrias' equipment and skills could buff her up to the point where even if she was losing, she'd manage to outlast Saber in the end.
Whiz: And the description-text of several Tactics attacks and abilities would point to them being enough to strain and bypass even the magical resistance of the Saber-class.
Boomstick: Guess those sword abilities are really good at making people holey- get it- holy?
Whiz: The winner is Agrias Oaks!
