It didn't take long for Reiner to realize something had gone wrong with the plan. It was brilliant in its simplicity and left little room for error. Bertholdt and himself would remain in the Scouts in order to keep an eye on Eren, while Annie would join the MP in order to get closer to the Royal Family and find out where their target was. This also allowed for Annie to act outside of the Scouts in order to abduct Eren without raising any suspicions. By the time they realize that Annie wasn't your average Abnormal, she would have already taken out her opposition and made off with Eren. Then all she had to do was bring Eren's unconscious body to the drop-off point at Wall Maria, and then make her way back to the MP barracks behind Wall Sina. She had already informed him that she had a cover for her absence, meaning no suspicions would be raised should she disappear for a few hours. All that was left was for him to inform her of Eren's location in the upcoming Expedition and when said mission would take place.
However, it turned out that the Scout's commander was wiser than they initially thought, as the man had given conflicting intel to each section of the Scout's Expedition force, meaning that Eren's true location was kept hidden. It was evident that Erwin was on to them in some capacity, though just how much he was aware of could not yet be determined. So when Annie went to the location in the scouting formation that Reiner had informed her Eren would be at, she was quick to realize that they'd been tricked. All that she could do was leave the Titan's that she brought with her behind to finish off the stragglers, and head towards Reiner's position to see if he had any new information. Like Reiner had instructed her to do so, Annie was much slower in her approach towards his sector, giving him ample time to spot her on the horizon. One thing had led to another, but luckily he managed to give Annie the updated intel on Eren's location. Still, he couldn't take credit for sleuthing out their targets position, as that honor belonged to Armin. The kid was honestly too smart for his own good.
So despite the initial hiccup in the plan, things were back to proceeding on schedule. That is, until they arrived at the forest, only to find that the place had been reduced to mountains of logs and a minefield of stumps. It was far too ridiculous a development to even properly react to. The mysterious lack of Titan's in the area was somewhat of a godsend, as the stunned scouts needed the time to process what was in front of them and just how it happened. Glancing in the direction of the Wall's, Reiner could only think of one means by which a forest of this size could be felled in such a way, though that was also an impossibility for a multitude absurd reasons. Still, until they received orders otherwise, all squads present were under instruction to hold position.
Putting aside the unexpected developments they now faced, Reiner was still confident that Annie would complete her mission, which would now be made much easier with the lack of trees for maneuvering with the ODM gear. Yet that confidence was tossed in the garbage when his squad leader noticed a flare shoot up in the distance. It was the rarest color of flare to ever be seen, as rarely would the requirements to use it ever be achieved. The golden-yellow flare was the signal for 'mission accomplished', which was distinctly different from the 'return to base' flare utilized during the Expeditions. No, this flare signified that the mission objectives have been completed and the commander acknowledged it as a victory.
For the scouts it was a much-needed morale boost that had them cheering in excitement. Not only would they be returning to base, but for the first time ever they could hold their heads high as they strode past the numerous spectators that awaited them behind the safety of Wall Rose. Despite the losses they suffered, they were returning as champions. But for Reiner and Bertholdt, the flare represented something else; Annie had failed.
(-)
With Annie taken into custody, the primary threat posed to the expedition had been neutralized, meaning that Levi's squad had been shifted to the rearguard while they made the trip back to the safety of Wall Rose. Despite their victory, the Scout Regiment had lost a lot of good men and women for the duration of Annie's rampage, thus it was now up to Levi and his squad to ensure those who survived would make it home safely. If any form of trouble tried chasing after them, Levi would make sure it was dealt with swiftly and effectively.
"Anyone else still in shock from what happened?" Eld asked aloud from his position in the squad formation.
Gunther snorted. "Do you really need to ask? Even with what we've seen Eren capable of, that was on a whole different level."
"Yeah. I'm still trying to process the idea that the girl had cut down the entire forest. How long do you reckon she's been out here?"
"Long enough to level a forest of giant trees at the very least." Oluo opined gruffly.
"That really doesn't narrow it down." Gunther pointed out while spurring his horse towards the front of their formation.
"Which is precisely why I kept my answer vague." Oluo replied. "Our best estimate would need to be based on when this area was last scouted."
"And it's not like we had any reason to be out this way prior to losing the gate at Trost." Petra added before looking over her shoulder at Eren. "Still hanging in there, kid?"
Eren's face was stuck somewhere between displaying an expression of utter befuddlement and reluctant resignation. Eventually he closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled. "I suppose I should be angry that Annie turned out to be a traitor, but that Bunyan girl is currently at the forefront of my mind. Why is she out here to begin with? If she is a Titan-Shifter like myself, then she must have something better to do with her time than just chop down trees."
"Trees that we needed to remain standing by-the-way. Thank you for that." Oluo grumbled in aggravation.
"I ain't gonna argue with Oluo on that point." Eld agreed with a sigh. "Still, I don't think she is the same kind of thing that you are, Eren."
Eren turned to look at Eld in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"She didn't so much transform, but rather just… grew big?"
"Not the least bit surprised that you weren't paying attention, brat." Oluo remarked with a chortle. "I'd say yo-phbt! Mother fu-!" the elder man cursed as he bit his tongue.
Riding ahead a bit, Petra pulled up beside Levi. "What do you think, captain?"
The man in question grunted. "I think we should save the pointless speculation for when we are back at base."
(-)
As Dot Pyxis watched the Scout Expedition return from his vantage-point on Wall Rose, he could tell from a distance that things had gone differently than usual for the recon force. Though they were returning much earlier than anyone was expecting, the Garrison Regiment Commander felt as if it wasn't merely the result of a disastrous deployment. While it was clear that a considerable portion of their forces were absent when compared to the amount they had when they departed earlier in the day -indicating heavy losses-, the members of the Scout Regiment appeared rather lively during their approach, as opposed to the usual somber atmosphere that usually accompanied them.
"Interesting." the wrinkle-faced commander muttered as he made his way down to ground-level. His curiosity couldn't wait to find out the results of the mission later on, so he decided to give Erwin a greeting at the gate and probe him for details.
Seeing as how this had been the first time an expedition had been launched from the district, the citizens of Kalaneth had lined the edge of the streets to gawk at this momentous event. The sound of the horses trotting the street and the clacking rumble of the wagons was impossible to hear over the constant noise of the crowd. Pyxis had to deploy his men to maintain control of the situation, practically forcing onlookers back as they spilled out onto the road and threatened to block the streets.
Just like always, the front of the convoy was being led by Erwin, the man bearing the responsibility of everyone's initial attention. Pyxis would never admit it aloud, but he felt a sense of awe towards Erwin's resolve. Whenever the Scout's returned from a mission, he was the one that the citizens would remember. Every grieving family member whose child, parent, sibling, or lover died during a mission; Erwin bore the responsibility of taking their resentment. The commander who is so bold as to stand at the front of his soldiers, to be the first person to reach the safety of the Wall's while his men trailed behind him… It was the kind of resolve that could shake an empire.
After briefly jogging to catch up with the Scout commander, Pyxis managed to match pace with the man's slowly trotting horse.
"You seem to have returned much sooner than any of us suspected. Not only that, but your men appear to be in higher spirits than usual." Pyxis observed aloud, voicing his opinion in a manner that didn't make him sound accusatory. "Don't tell me you went and recaptured Wall Rose and made it back here in record time."
Erwin maintained a nonplussed expression at Pyxis' joking remark. While such an outcome would be everything they could ever hope for and more, it was just as equally unlikely to occur. The commander had no intention of revealing all his cards just yet, he was also aware that certain things wouldn't stay quiet for long -Bunyan in particular-, so he might as well feed the bald-man a bit of intel. If word got around to certain parties, then he'd be able to trace it back from Pyxis. Erwin didn't suspect the older commander too heavily, especially that being such a high-profile individual would make it hard for the Garrison leader to do anything on the sly, but being able to control where word first starts spreading was still useful.
"If only things were that easy." the blonde man replied while keeping his gaze ahead of him. "Though we did accomplish what we set out to do. Even managed to find something interesting as well. Something that might just turn things around for us even more than Eren."
"Hoh? Now you know you can't leave me hanging like that. Just what did you find out there?"
Erwin shook his head. "Now isn't the best time. Despite our victory, we still suffered heavy casualties. First, we must tend to the wounded and bury the dead that we managed to recover. Further discussion can wait until afterwards."
Pyxis gave a slight nod of the head in understanding. "Of course. I'll leave you to it then. My own hands are full dealing with all the ruckus the residents of the district are causing."
With the Garrison Commander taking his leave, Erwin was able to once again focus on the task at hand. While taking care of the wounded was indeed a priority, he had already delegated that task to Miche, along with having Hange handle the rest of the mission aftermath. Erwin's primary focus was ensuring their captive is properly contained to prevent escape.
A special prison had been prepared ahead of time at an old mining settlement in the region that had already been stripped of all it's resources. However, the mine itself still remained, as did the surrounding buildings that served as workers residences and material processing facilities. Thankfully it had only been a few years since the mine was abandoned, so the majority of the infrastructure was in fairly good condition, though it was the mine itself that Erwin desired most. The entrance to the mine had been dug into the side of a slightly mountainous region, with the deepest depth on the x-axis to y-axis ratio being beneath nearly 30 meters of solid earth. This was more than enough landmass to make any attempts at escape via Titan form an impossibility, as Annie's enlarged size would cause her surroundings to collapse in on her. It also meant that her cohorts had no easy means of rescuing her, as digging to that depth from above without being discovered simply wasn't feasible, and Erwin would make sure his guards were clear of suspicion, and heavily regulate visitors to the prison. Even then, if another Shifter tried to force their way in by decimating the security outside, it wouldn't change the fact that only someone the size of a human could fit through the tunnels. All he needed to do was arm his interior forces with a few dozen rifles and gunning down an intruder would be child's play. Of course, there was the possibility that the Colossal Titan could just show up and force their way in by uprooting the whole site, but all that would do is collapse the mine anyway. It was the most ideal location for Shifter imprisonment that Erwin could find.
The Commander also made sure that Bunyan was put in the same cart as Annie, so as to dissuade the girl from making any attempts at escaping, so he would also need the odd lumberjack to help escort their prisoner to her cell. Having Levi join them would be ideal as well, as the intimidating man's skills at 'persuasion' would set the record straight for any acts of noncompliance.
For the first time since the Scout Regiment's conception, they had finally taken their greatest step forward against the enemy. From this day forward they were no longer on the defensive, it was their time to counterattack.
