Young Link worried that that might not be the case, but was too relieved of the fight being over to argue.
They decided to take a new path, but passing through the plains again, both to visit the dragon again (the boy had insisted), and to restock up on supplies.
Steve entered the clearing where they had fought Rathalos and looked around.
Noticing their arrival, the dragon landed not far from them.
Young Link, sitting down on a nearby stone, played the same tune he had last time, called "Song of Healing". Just like before, the monster simply observed him while he played.
When he was done, and seeing that it hadn't attacked, Young Link asked Steve for one of his steaks.
Steve handed over said steak.
He tossed it over to the dragon, who gladly ate it up in a loud snap.
Seeing its lack of hostility, Young Link approached it. He could see that its injuries had mostly healed over, with the rest of its skull mending after eating the new meal.
After that, he bid the creature goodbye and the duo continued on their way.
After hunting a few wild animals and having Steve gather as much meat as he could from them, they traveled north, in search of someone that could help them free Incineroar.
After travelling for several hours, the duo spotted a town in the distance. Next to them lay a sign that read: "Puerto Valor", with an arrow pointing towards the location.
As they approached the town, Young Link could see that it was one that came from a time similar to his own. He could also observe the sea in the distance, meaning that this was most likely a port.
Steve looked at the sign. "Puerto Valor, eh? Nice place."
As they passed through the giant gates and into the city proper, they found it to be mostly calm and peaceful, with merchants, sailors and knights roaming about the place.
"Excuse me!", approaching one of the nearby stalls, Young Link caught the attention of the owner. "We need to find someone who can help us remove a curse from someone else. Do you know anyone who might fit the bill?"
The merchant thought about it for a moment, then responded. "I have heard of this traveler that's been staying at the local inn and sometimes helping a couple of residents that suffered from ailments that were thought to be incurable. He's your best bet, señor".
"It should help your friend with such a strange curse. Never seen anything like it." he finished, eyeing Steve.
"Not me. Definitely not me. Someone else." Steve replied quickly.
The merchant looked taken aback, but then simply shrugged. "Whoever it is that you're trying to help, just make sure to not spread it to our beautiful town. Also, the person you're looking for is probably in el casino. He's spent plenty of time there. Also, I recommend that you check in to the hotel soon if you want to get a good room. It is getting late."
He then got up and began gathering his things. "If you're not going to buy anything, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, since it's closing time."
"The man you're looking for is a tall dark-skinned hombre with several strange tattoos in his face and an air of magical strength to him. You should be able to recognize him straight away."
"…Casino… Right." Steve wasn't a gambling man, but if he had to enter the place to find their guy, then he'd do so. "We might stop by in the morning. Come on," The Minecraftian motioned to Young Link to follow him away from the stall.
Young Link nodded. Travelling through the town, they were able to spot their destination easily, as it was one of the two biggest buildings there, with the other being the hotel, and it had an obvious "CASINO" sign int the entrance that was vividly lit up that was hard to miss. Using this opportunity, they quickly booked a room together in the hotel before heading to the casino.
A few minutes later, they were standing at the entrance. While the the building was clearly the biggest and most important in the port, it wasn't that much bigger than the others. A guard stood in the doorway. "Do you want to enter the casino?" he asked in a neutral and formal tone when he spotted them.
"I'm just looking for someone, not actually here to gamble." Steve turned to face Young Link. "Whatever you're thinking, you can't get in. To everyone else, you're just a kid." He gave the child an apologetic smile.
Young Link rolled his eyes and continued forward, only to be stopped by the guard, who blocked his path. "Your friend is right. We don't allow children in here."
Seeing the problem at hand, the Hylian decided to trust his companion and relented. "Fine. I'll go back to the hotel." he said, looking back at Steve. "But I'll be waiting at the lobby. Try to get our mystery man to meet with us there. I want to be a part of this."
He then walked back to the hotel.
Steve nodded. "Will do." He then turned to the guard. "Do I… need to show any sort of identification to get in here?"
"No need. I believe you're old enough. You may pass." said the guard, opening the door for the block man.
Steve nodded to the guard. "Thanks." He stepped through into the casino, internally bracing himself.
He entered the location and walked through a long hallway to finally reach the main room: the casino itself.
It was brightly lit, with a main exchange hub in the center. There were several slot machines lined in the sides, making the classic jingle as people kept using them and reacting with grunts of frustration and only the occasional scream of success. On the far left side Steve saw a small bar, with several people speaking in loud voices and laughing.
As Steve approached the bar, he found what seemed to be the man he was looking for, sitting in a table alone and leaning forward, sipping calmly from his glass. He didn't seem to have noticed Steve. However, the rest of the people there did and eyed him curiously, but made no comments.
Steve meandered across the floor over to the man and took a seat beside him. "Hello. I heard you're the guy the locals refer to when curses need to be broken?"
"I see that the rumors have already spread." he said calmly. He then looked up from his drink and raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem to be like somethin' I'd see everyday. What's your name, son?"
"Steve." He replied, taking a second to look around. "Don't have these sort of places back home, I specialize in smithing, crafting, and trading mostly."
"Is that so?" responded the man. He signaled the block man to sit down in front of him. "Name's Rodin." he continued, before taking another sip of his glass.
"You said somethin' about a curse that needs to be broken?" he continued. "I can tell that it's not on you."
Steve quickly moved seats. "No." He took out the ender chest and set it on the table, then let Rodin see the still sleeping Incineroar inside. "Need to break the curse on him."
"I see. There's a dark influence controlling him unlike anythin' that I've ever seen." He effortlessly pulled Incineroar out of the chest, only to notice that his size was going to be an issue. He then lowered him until only his head was poking out.
"It doesn't mean that it's any challenge for me, though." he continued, placing his hand atop of Incineroar's forehead.
He gave the block man an icy stare. "I'm going to give you my services for free only this one time, and only because I find you, this creature and its current condition interesting. Next time, I expect a price to be paid."
With no answers to give, Steve just nodded.
Rodin then turned to the box. A few seconds later, the head that was poking out began shrinking and its features transforming, until it became one that Steve recognized.
"If I may ask, what would the price be, if we need more of your services in the future?" Steve asked as he checked the fire cat.
"Depends on the service, and if you can find me." he responded, finishing his drink.
"Now let me be. I've had enough for one day."
"Thank you, Rodin." Steve replied as he got up from the bat and shook the older man's hand before he grabbed the ender chest and left the casino, heading back to the hotel after walking through the port town.
Once he entered the hotel, he looked around, trying to find the kid he was now looking after.