"This world was once home to a mighty civilization," Merlyn dragged Anakin toward a broken ledge. "Look there!"

A huge city, wrapped around the base of a mountainous pyramid, lay in ruins below. Black clouds and foul rain filled the air, a dizzy mix that jumbled Anakin's brain.

"Their magic was strong," The old wizard rapped the boy on his head. "And yet they fell, power and wisdom are not the same thing!"

A flash of lightning brought temporary blindness. When it faded, Etrigan stood beside them.

"Gather them up... you should try! You might as well demand more, why not all the waste in a pigstye?" Etrigan tossed Merlyn a bulged sack. "I've got the worst, now let me roam. This blackened place, smells of home."

"Fine, fine," Merlyn weighed the sack in one hand. "But don't mess about, we'll be gone in less than a day."

"What's in the bag?" Anakin pressed closer, despite Etrigan's evil smile. "It's moving..."

"The souls of the stupid, aggrieved, and insane." Etrigan loomed over the boy. "The wizard will eat them, his personal novocaine..."

"Off with you!" Merlyn drove Etrigan away with a snap of his fingers before he turned to Anakin. "These spirits are useful ingredients, spells have a cost, it's best to shift the load to... less valuable shoulders."

"Tick-tock goes the clock," Etrigan whispered into Anakin's ear. "How soon until you're in the stock?"

----------------------------------------

"Has Merlyn sent word?"

Dan leaned back in his seat on the bridge. The scoutship had left the forest world just under an hour ago, but the Wizard and his disciple remained on Tython.

"Nothing yet, but my drone should reach them soon..."

Air-popped as two figures fell to the floor. Merlyn was engaged in a battle. Anakin had seized his beard and refused to let go, his eyes filled with tears.

"RELEASE ME, YOU LITTLE DEMON," Merlyn, hunched low to spare his beard, turned to Dan and May. "Help me convince this fool that I'm not raising him for slaughter!"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Slaughter?" May tilted her head.

"Etrigan told me that this old man eats people's souls!" Anakin tightened his grip, feet set in a wide stance. "I won't let him toss me into a pot of soup..."

"He's not going to eat you, Anakin," Dan shook his head. "Although, you would be the person to pick, if you wanted a strong soul to eat..."

"Ahhhh!"

Merlyn screamed as Anakin twisted his hands, face awash with fear. May slapped Dan on the back of his head and moved to comfort the boy.

"Don't listen to him, Merlyn is a good person," May ruffled Anakin's hair. "He would never hurt you, plus he's like... a puppet or something to Dan's will!"

"Really..."

"The girl is right, I'm bound to obey my Master," Merlyn gingerly pulled at his trapped hair. "Now let me go, before I ask him to let me kill you!"

"Fine," Anakin's hands dropped to his side. "But I'll be watching you, old man."

"YOU? Watch ME?" Merlyn reeled back, gnarled fingers pressed to the roots of his beard. "Boy, you'll need a millennia of study, just to reach my starting point!"

"Ok, ok, that's enough," Dan waved his hand, an evil smile on his lips. "We've got a schedule to keep, the next world should be an interesting one!"

The scout vessel vanished in a flash. Travel through the phantom zone was instantaneous and with a similar pulse of white, it returned, orbited around a dense jungle world.

"Welcome to Myrkr!"

----------------------------------------

"What kind of fresh hell is this!"

Merlyn sagged to the muddy ground, hand pressed to his heart. He'd been fine in orbit, but about halfway to the surface, he started to hyperventilate.

"How are you feeling, you two?"

Dan glanced at the pale wizard and his young apprentice. Merlyn had aged a hundred years, while Anakin stumbled about in a daze.

"You damn well know how I'm feeling," Merlyn rose on ancient knees, accusation in his gaze. "You've brought us to a place without magic!"

"So they can affect your magic as well..."

Dan stared into the dense foliage, unconcerned with Merlyn's plight. This planet was home to several unusual species, two of which he intended to gather in large quantities.

"This place is all fuzzy, like a holonet channel that's out of tune," Anakin rubbed his eyes. "I feel slow..."

"This planet has a lizard that repels the force," Dan patted the boy on the shoulder. "When they bunch together the effect can cover a vast area, most of this world is a void in the force."

The Ysalamir was a sloth-like chameleon that spent its childhood on one long climb. They were born in the trees, then walked away from the nest at less than a step per year. Eventually, the wood grew around their talons, and they never moved again.

"You should have warned me!" Merlyn hobbled back up the ramp. "I'll be in bed until we leave this cursed place."

"Stay with Merlyn, Anakin," Dan smiled at the confused boy. "This place has predators built to hunt force sensitives."

"Ok..."

The boy continued to wander in a daze, until May led him up the ramp. Concern filled her eyes when she returned.

"What's wrong with him? I get Merlyn, but Anakin doesn't really use magic, or the force, yet..."

"He uses it for everything," Dan glanced at the ship. "That kid is so connected to the force, I imagine that without it, he's almost blind."

"Then why come here at all," May raised her eyebrows. "Merlyn looks half dead."

"The ysalamiri are important for the future, they have applications in cloning technology and defense," Dan shrugged. "Also, the predators I mentioned are essentially wolf-cats, I figured you'd want a few."

"Wolf-cats?" May's eyes filled with stars as she marched into the jungle. "Why didn't you say so!"

----------------------------------------

"Please... I don't know who they were!"

Steam rose from the Dathomir Matriarchs shoulder, cooked free by a thin blade of light.

"You must know more than these trivial details," Darth Maul slipped his lightsaber free. "Now tell me, who killed the Nightsisters on this world, WHO KILLED MY MOTHER!"