"They did, yes," he conceded. It was true enough, considering he'd been the one to put the idea in them. The questions, however, he let go. He'd drag the story out of the metal mass soon enough-- or better yet, cut it out of him like any other animal he'd opened up and peered inside in the interest of furthering his knowledge.

The path split ahead of them, and Qilby pushed his way in front of Barricade to closely inspect the walls of the left path. "This tunnel was created-- see the claw marks, there." Sure enough, the passage was lined with deep, long gouge marks. "The beast was enormous, it had to have come from a chamber large enough to house it.

"In other words, the sort of main cavern we're likely looking for. Perhaps we can finally get back on track. But first--" Qilby held up a hand, interrupting whatever response or protest he might've been met with and took a few steps down the mushroom-lit path. Dexterously, he reached into his pack and removed a small box. Inside: some small swabs and plastic bags. Without wasting a single motion, he ran a swab underneath one of the head-sized fungi and deposited the now-gently glowing stick in the bag.

He'd kept no secrets about his primary interest in this mission. If he had to endure the Cybertronian, then he'd damn well come away with something to show for it.