~Location: City, Middle Class - Egypt~
~Date/Time: 1300 B.C., Operation Golden Ticket: Day 2; Evening~

"Sire! Ausar!" A voice called out to the vizier who was on his daily route among the city. The owl stopped and glared at where the voice supposedly came from.

"I'm no sire... I am no king. Do not address me as such while I live under Pharaoh's rule."

"But you wish to be rid of the one you serve. You wish to be free from Pharaoh's rule, yes?" The voice was found to be from a cloaked figure until it did something unexpected. It stepped forth to Ausar and lowered its hood to him, revealing a raccoon face along with a striped tail poking from the robe.

"Trap-maker... Cooper... What business do you have addressing me like this?"

"Sire, what if Pharaoh died tonight?"

"Leave me before I summon guards to arrest you for such treachery."

"Then you miss the chance to be free!"

"Why must you talk of this?"

The cloaked raccoon lead the owl to a nearly empty street in the rural district. The only other person in the area was a female busy with some laundry. She gasped and hid once she saw the two coming. The raccoon continued. "Because I can change your life, make it so you never have to serve under Pharaoh again."

Now alone and away from the public, Ausar can prove his peak in interest in the proposition. "I'm listening... You can accomplish this?"

"I have an accomplice. We can do it together."

"I want no part of this. If you fail, you two and only you two must taste the Nile."

"I won't be asking much from you. We have a plan prepared."

Ausar looked around the vacant street for a moment and then back to the raccoon. "What do you require?"

"Tonight, Pharaoh is having supper in his main dining hall, yes?"

The owl nodded in response. "I will be acting as security for the evening. My guards have gone missing for some reason. They eventually returned but the lead guard arrived first and talked nonsense of a shepherd falling from the sky and the protective shadows muting his legion. The punishment for a second failed capture was deserved. His legion will learn from that."

The raccoon smirked for a moment before he processed the remainder of the owl's statement. A questioning gaze earned an irritated glare. Slytunkhamen got the suspicion that the lead guard from before received more than his other ear being torn. Hopefully the remaining guards were reassigned to a position in the world of the living. "Then with you acting as security, let me and my accomplice inside. We can take care of the rest from there."

"That is all? You and your accomplice will murder Pharaoh as he dines?"

"That is all I need of you. Sire... one more request..."

"Name it."

"We would demand payment for the deed. This payment must be from Pharaoh's own collection of jewels and we shall take no substitute."

The owl glared and processed the request. The deed would be simple. Some jewels from Pharaoh's treasury would be enough. Besides, he would hunt for the killers and capture them himself. If that payment was found, who could prevent the corrupt vizier from claiming a reward? With Pharaoh deceased; there would be nothing against him. He would indeed be free. Such a tempting offer provided with little cost to him... The owl couldn't refuse.

There still was something else tempting to the owl. The Coopers were pests to Pharaoh's rule. At long last, Slytunkhamen II would be in the palace walls for a double-cross. He could seize the Coopers himself and Pharaoh would reward the success very handsomely.

After a few minutes, Ausar made his decision verbal. "Your terms are accepted. Come to the palace gates tonight to discuss your payment, trap-maker."

"Aye. I shall."

They left the street and parted ways. Ausar returned to his proper role and failed to mention any of this to Pharaoh. The owl contemplated that mentioning an assassination attempt would lead to the notion that he was involved in it. Turns out, he had fell victim to the plan since he agreed to provide payment. The vizier needed to make a plan and fast. Perhaps his lead guard could've been given a third chance instead of being banished to the land of the dead.

Slytunkhamen returned home some time later to see Sly sewing something. "I sealed our fates..."

Sly sat up abruptly, beginning to breath heavier. "Did... everything go well?" He could be prepared to run... But he didn't know if he had enough time.

"He took the offer just like you said he would."

Sly exhaled to a relaxed state and continued sewing his craft. "Ah. So everything went smooth."

Slytunkhamen exhaled loudly and collapsed on his cot, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "Ausar could double-cross us..."

"Don't worry about that. We'll be out with our loot before he can piece together the rug we pulled from under him."

"You don't understand... He knows me. If he remembers where I live, he can call us out."

Sly stopped his sewing again and thought about it for a moment. "He wouldn't do that. You gave him an offer that he wants fulfilled. If anything, he's going to try and nab us after we've done the deed."

"Great... Makes me feel so much better about it..." Was this the invention of sarcasm? Sly didn't know history well enough to know. "We aren't killing Pharaoh... Right?"

"You aren't... The plan is that you handle the payment and I take care of it so that I get seen."

"You can't be serious about killing him... How else do you plan to get his crown?"

"I don't plan to even hurt him. You're forgetting one crucial fact about us Coopers."

"I am?"

"You forgot that Coopers are seen only when they want to be seen." Sly smirked and went back to his sewing.

His ancestor chuckled and then noticed the stitch-work. "What are you making?"

"A sack, of course. You said for me to get something to carry my winnings in."

"Indeed I did, but that is not what intrigued me... What symbol are you sewing onto the bag?"

Sly blinked and looked down, seeing a dollar sign sewn into the bag he was working on. At this point, he forgot whether or not he added it intentionally or added it without a conscious thought. "Oh. It's a symbol from where I come from."

"Do you think your friends will see the symbol?"

"You know, now that I think about it, I'm counting on if they can see it. My friends are smart enough to know that the symbol doesn't make sense here."

"Well, then good luck to you." Slytunkhamen collapsed back onto his cot and relaxed.

"Wait... It's not going to work... I'm such an idiot..." Sly huffed and stopped his work again.

"What?" Sly's ancestor tilted his head and sat back up again.

"No cameras... How would you record something?"

"The scribes take notes. Anger the Pharaoh, then he'll remember you enough to tell them everything. You'll be carved into the wall for sure."

"Carved into the wall? Sounds morbid..." Eventually, Sly picked up his craft and continued his work, showing off the symbol on his sack. "Think they'd see that?"

"Don't worry. They'll see it." Slytunkhamen was more relaxed about things, despite what they were about to do. He was even lying back down on his cot again.

Sly made the final adjustments and finished his creation, a burlap sack with a significant dollar sign symbol on it. "So now what?"

"Well... Tonight, we can have a day as a proper father and son if you are alright with that."

"W-What? Why?"

The older raccoon sat up and stretched. "Well... I've never had a son and you say that Ausar's the reason you have no father. Would it be acceptable for us to remedy that for the evening?"

Sly stood and hugged his ancestor warmly. "What if Ausar sees us? You said he knows you don't have a son."

"I don't care. As far as he knows, you're my accomplice. This may be our last day among the living. I confronted Ausar today. He's not going to stop me now."

That was all he needed to hear from his ancestor. The younger raccoon wasn't local so the older raccoon showed him around the rural city. They visited the markets, had a meal together, and enjoyed some Egyptian sights. They stayed some distance away from the palace since they would be clear to enter later that night. The last few hours were the two of them bonding with the last well-known person to see them alive. It produced a father-son relationship easily, given the age difference between them. Sly was like a young child to be taught the lifestyle of Ancient Egypt.

Night fell quickly and the two of them had to quickly return home to get ready for the mission before they departed. Slytunkhamen was carrying the sack that Sly had made along with his pair of sickle-styled canes and Sly merely carried his signature cane.

They simply casually approached the palace before a few guards raised their spears to the two raccoons. Working as a team, the guards were simply outmatched by the Cooper Duo. Ausar arrived to find his guards incapacitated and his business partners unharmed.

"That wasn't necessary... Pharaoh and his mistress are dining now."

Slytunkhamen II was the one that spoke for now. "Good. Escort my son here to the dining hall to deal with Pharaoh and lead me to handle the payment."

"Son? I am not aware you had a son.""

"He is my accomplice tonight. Slytunkhamen Cooper, the Third." Sly avoided direct eye contact for obvious reasons.

"He appears unfit to proceed."

"He is among the presence of such nobility."

"Then pray he does not bow to Pharaoh enough to allow me to decapitate him."

"What do you mean?"

"I act as Pharaoh's guardian in Pharaoh's presence. I will not hesitate to act. It is my duty after all."

"Of course, Ausar. We are wasting precious opportunity."

"Indeed. I will have a servant escort you to the treasury. Your son can gather his will power and address Pharaoh."

The two raccoons let Ausar lead and Slytunkhamen turned to the younger raccoon in a low whisper. "Your act is convincing."

"I'm not acting... You weren't kidding me about how serious this is."

"You're backing out?"

"Now? Of course not."

"I won't be there to help you. He's leading me to a separate room. I won't know when you are making your strike."

"I'm on my own..."

"Not entirely."

"How so?"

"I have a feeling that we are being watched by a higher power. They'll allow you to succeed."

"I hope that higher power's watching me now..."

When they entered the palace, Ausar gave orders for someone to escort Slytunkhamen down a different path. As Ausar and Sly approached the Pharaoh, the raccoon faded from sight right before the owl's eyes.

"Assassin in the palace! Lord Pharaoh!" Ausar started barking out orders, marking the start of some mayhem. The dinner guests scrambled, Pharaoh falling to his feet only to climb back up and try to run.

When the guards that led Slytunkhamen to the treasury heard the order, heads were turned to the older raccoon and earned a blow to the head. He then made evidence of ransackery and simply stole more than a reasonable amount.

As Slytunkhamen made his way out, he ran into Sly to whom he passed on the sack of jewels and a rope that had been concealed inside the sack when they entered. Sly made a trade of the sack for Pharaoh's crown that he happened to swipe because he luckily 'tripped over his own feet'.

As for the escape, Sly's route was in the path of the dining hall and Slytunkhamen's route was stealthier. As Sly made his way to a window opening, Pharaoh pointed the raccoon out as a thief. It was a nice and slow moment as Sly posed for a few seconds to give enough detail to be remembered.

An untrained guard ran up to attack Sly, but was easily disarmed of a bow and arrow. For Sly, an arrow and a rope at the end of it made a quick escape route and thus an escape was conveniently provided.

With the sack in hand and his cane sliding down the improvised zip-line, Sly made it to outside the palace walls and into the streets of rural Egypt with the Cooper version of a hop, skip, and jump.

Guards were called to give chase, but Sly never came across them. In fact, he started to find it odd that not a single guard got close enough for him to be concerned. He could hear them though. Pharaoh sent plenty guards and he sounded furious about the whole ordeal.

The escape went splendidly and Sly returned back to his ancestor's home to find it vacant of people and belongings as well. If Slytunkhamen made his escape, this isn't where he'd return anytime soon.

However, he wasn't alone in the building now. The building only appeared to be empty. Sly only knew that someone was here when a large muscular opponent tackled and skillfully pinned him to the floor. Sly submitted and waited for the opponent deal the fatal blow.

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