[Hiccup is just going to err on the side of caution. He's not always the best at reading cues (he can be kind of oblivious to some things), so until he can tell if Christian is really joking or not, he's going to assume anything he says is a possibility. Including cursed glowing lichen. They'll be happy to get that back at the labs, he's sure.

And while he's eager to see what lies down this particular tunnel, he's also a little apprehensive about it, more than he would be if he had someone with him that he knew better. Nothing against Christian, but boy, what he wouldn't give to have Astrid here right now to back them up.] If we take too long, Toothless will go find the others anyway. [He says, taking some small comfort in that knowledge.

With one last pat to Toothless' scaly head, Hiccup nods, and starts down the passage, dimming the electric lantern.] Yeah, let's go. Keep the lights down in case this is something dangerous, we don't want to draw too much attention.