For those of you who like this story be happy that there's a second chapter of it because I was almost thinking there shouldn't be a second chapter and I should just move on. It's a good thing I decided not too. Please read and review.

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CHAPTER 2

Kamu called for an ambulance for her husband and the loan shark. They were both in bad shape. Currently the mother and son were standing over Kit's unconscious body as it lay in a hospital bed. The Loan shark had woken up only 15 minutes after having gotten into the ambulance.

"You'll be sorry." Was what he rasped out before he fell back into unconsciousness

Lavitz didn't know what he was thinking. Of course this man was going to retaliate. It was only a matter of time.

His family had never been in this much trouble before. The loan shark would come get his revenge for hurting him. They were going to loose the farm or worse, he'd loose his father. They had his hospital bill to pay, but he had just spent all of the money they were planning to live on this week on Plue. There were just too many things wrong and he didn't know how to fix them.

He looked to his mother, he watched her try her hardest not to break down and cry. Her Eyes were shiny as they held back tears and every now and again he'd hear her sniffle.

"I have to go home and finish the chores." She whispered. "The chickens need feeding and the fields-"

"Hey!" Lavitz cut her off. "I can take care of that stuff mom. You just stay here in case dad wakes up."

She wanted to argue but she just couldn't find the strength. She felt emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed.

"Okay…" She sighed, and with that Lavitz gave his father one last sad glance before he took off for home.

When he got to the hospital parking lot he was surprised to find Plue waiting there for him. The Big dog had followed them by running behind the ambulance. Lavitz smiled at the creature's loyalty. He reached up and petted the dog above his long carrot-looking nose.

"Well no matter how you look at it I wasted a lot of money on you, Plue, but you're a very good waste of money."

The creature let out a long "PUUUUUNNN.", noise before Lavitz got on his back and began the journey home.

His mind was a big ball of stress, trying to figure out what to do about all of these problems, when he was only a mile away from home Plue suddenly came to a halt. The sudden stop shook Lavitz out of his thoughts.

"What's a matter, buddy? Why'd you stop?"

"H-help…" A voice rasped out. "H-Help, Please…"

Lavitz looked to his left and found an old man in a brown cloak dragging himself towards the road. The poor old man was on the brink of passing out. He held on to a walking stick tightly. It was the only thing keeping him up right. He would likely be crawling if he didn't have it.

"W-Water… Do you have any water please?"

"I-I'm sorry mister, I don't have any water on me." Lavitz told him sadly.

The old man said nothing. He just collapsed to his knees, likely feeling devastatingly let down.

Lavitz wanted to help him but he just didn't have any water on him. He could always take the poor man with him to his house but he was a stranger, not to mention that he had a lot of work to do and didn't have time to be wasting on strangers, and it's not like this man had anything to do with him. It wasn't his fault this traveler forgot to pack more bottles of water, right?

The more the young man stared down at this clearly exhausted and dehydrated old man, the more those just sounded like excuses. Whatever problems he was going through at the moment, this man was near dying. He couldn't just leave him.

Lavitz got off of Plue and helped the poor old man onto the large dog's back. "Don't worry. He told the thirsty man. You can have something to drink at my place."

It didn't take them very long to get to The Edgar family farm. When they did the sun was just about to set. Lavitz held his stomach as it rumbled. "I hope mom and dad can get a decent dinner at the hospital." He said aloud to no one in particular.

He hoped he could scrounge something up for himself and his guest as well. First the young man sat his guest down at the table and poured him a nice cold glass of tap water.

"You can help yourself to as much water as you want. All we have is tap water but at least it's cold." He said to the old man who did not reply. He was too busy gulping down the contents of the glass.

"I'll see what I can scrounge up for food." But before he did that he had to check up on the animals. The cow and chickens needed to be fed first. Thankfully Plue seemed happy to eat chicken feed along with the rest of the hens, although the amount he consumed once again reminded Lavitz that they probably couldn't afford to feed him and that buying this large dog was a terrible investment.

Next he checked the hen house to see if there were any new eggs from this morning. There were only 2 new ones, but that was to be expected since they had just cleared them all out earlier that day. But two eggs meant that at least they could both have one. He also remembered that there was that loaf of bread that his mother baked yesterday. They could finish that off. There really wasn't much around the house. They were supposed to go into town and grocery shop tomorrow but that money had gone to Plue.

Lavitz took what he had and headed back to the house. As He entered his home he found the stranger's shoes by the doorway. This shouldn't have been such a strange sight but it was what was on the inside the shoes that were so odd. It appeared as though Grass was growing out of them. Healthy, thick, patches of lush green, grass. After giving the shoes further inspection, he found that the grass was indeed growing out of the shoes and not just stuffed in. 'How bizarre?', he thought.

"Oh don't mind those, it's just a side effect."

"Huh? What?" Lazitz was startled out of his musings by the voice of the old stranger, whom he found hovering over the sink, pouring himself another glass of water.

"Years ago I casted a spell to help a town in need from a drought to make the vegetation grow, but as a side effect, the spell made it so that plants grow in my shoes. If I had known that at the time, I would have been more careful. The less time you spend trying to perfect a spell and do it the best you can possibly make it, the more severe the side effects will be. That's just how it is with magic. Still, that town needed help right away, I don't regret much."

"So you're a wizard?" The younger man asked intrigued.

The old stranger chuckled in response. "I dabble in magic from time to time."

He turned around to face Lavitz with a newly filled glass of water and smiled. It was the first time Lavits had gotten a real good look at him. He was man somewhere in his mid 60's if he had to guess. His white receding hairline was mostly gone on the top but spiked out on the sides. He had a well-kept short beard. His left cheek had a long scar underneath one of his strikingly bright blue eyes that were both friendly and world weary all at once.

Lavitz tried not to stare and looked down bashfully as he spoke. "I hope you don't mind scrambled eggs for dinner. I'm not much of a cook and I don't really have much but-"

"Young man." The elderly gentleman interrupted. "After all you've done to help me don't think me so rude as to complain about your gifts. You have truly gone out of your way for me and I am superbly grateful. Allow me to introduce myself. You can call me Timper."

"I'm Lavitz." The boy uttered softly as he set to work scrambling eggs. "Lavitz R. Edgar…"

"Well I'd like to thank you Lavitz R Edgar. I would likely be a goner without you. I didn't know that the walk to civilization would be so far from where I was. I should have brought more water with me than I did."

"Um, are you traveling alone, sir?" Lavitz asked, trying his best to make conversation.

"Yes. I am looking for someone." The elderly man spoke.

"Well I'd like to help you but I don't really know too many people. Sorry"

"Oh that's alright." Timper responded smiling. "I don't know this person either. I just need to find someone brave, and kind and worthy enough to take on my work. I'm getting up there in age and I want to find someone who can take over my work so that I can retire."

Lavitz raised an eyebrow. "What kind of work do you do?"

Timper could hardly contain his grin. He wanted to share this so badly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny silver sword, no bigger than the palm of his hand. It shined so brightly it almost glowed. Lavitz had never seen anything like it.

"I'm the Rave master." Timper said in a bold, proud voice. He practically radiated confidence and power. Lavitz wasn't sure what to make of it.

"…..um…. great….."

"… You have no idea what that is, do you?" The old man seemed to deflate with disappointment.

"Should I?" The teenager scratched the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed.

"The Rave masters are some of the most bravest heroes throughout all of history! They are some of the greatest men and women who have ever lived! What do they teach you in school?" The old man exclaimed.

"Really?" Lavitz asked, interested.

"Yes! Why there's Anika Wynonna the 20th Rave master, who was a mighty woman, who was so strong it's said her sword could cause earthquakes if she didn't put it down gently enough and used it to stop an erupting volcano from laying waste to an entire island country.

Or Margarette Sun, the 31st Rave master who ended a civil war and saved a prince's life by fighting off an army or well trained assassins all on her own, and at the age of 16 no less!"

Or the Second Rave master, Haru Glory! Oh the stories I could tell about him, we wouldn't be here today if he hadn't saved the world!"

Lavitz listened intently as the man rambled on excitedly about heroes. He was genuinely impressed.

The farm boy's world was so small. The only two people he was close to were his parents and in his entire life the farthest he had ever been from home was the village. He knew nothing beyond that. To just hear of such amazing people who did great things in far off locations felt like an adventure in and of itself. It took him back to a time when he would make a wooden sword out of tied together scraps of wood and play knight out in the grassy fields that he parents had not plowed.

"And so that's why I've been traveling. " Timper explained as he finished up his stories. "So that I can find the next Rave master. Whoever it will be will be the world's knight."

"In all your journeys you've never found anyone good enough?" Lavitz asked.

"Oh it won't be me who chooses. The Rave will know who its next master is. It will only choose someone with a kind, brave and incorruptible heart. Whoever will be the next Rave master will carry on the tradition of serving and protecting the world."

"Do you think you'll find him or her around here?" The younger man asked.

Timper gave him a curious look as he sipped his glass of water. He remembered that they rode here on a plue dog, a creature that was known for sensing the worth in someone's heart. He couldn't know for sure, but he had an inkling.

"Oh I've got a good feeling, my search won't last much longer."