The Bizarre Adventure of the Warhammer Guard

The moon, deep within a forgotten, hidden mountain range.

This is a hidden behemoth, made of rock and alloy, with a style completely different from the glitz and glamour of Terra Palace, exuding a simple and rustic atmosphere.

That is the Somnas Monastery, the headquarters of the Silent Sisters, their silent fortress.

The Silent Sisters are composed entirely of untouchable women. After being discovered by the Empire, they are sent to convents for training, and only those who successfully pass the trials can become true Silent Sisters.

As their name suggests, they are almost completely immune to any type of psychic energy.

In the eyes of those who use psychic powers, the untouchables, even just getting close to them, are enough to cause them extreme pain and discomfort, and even make it difficult for them to use their psychic powers.

Even ordinary people without psychic abilities would feel disgusted and nauseous when they are near untouchables by this "empty" force field, and might even want to commit violence against them.

Only the Imperial Guard can ignore the nuns of silence's powerless field, feel nothing for them, and fight alongside them.

Elpis arrived alone, refusing any ceremonial entourage. His shuttle slowly landed, and the area around the monastery was deathly silent, devoid of any activity.

As Elpis stepped off the shuttle and saw the desolate scene around him, his anger towards the High Lord intensified.

The Sisters of Silence's ethereal aura makes it difficult for them to fight alongside other soldiers, thus they are usually unnecessary on the Imperial battlefield. This leads the High Lords to believe that maintaining the Sisterhood's supply lines is no longer necessary.

Without supplies, the sisters did not continue to remain in their monastery, but instead dispersed throughout the empire, where they continued to dedicate their lives to the Lord of Mankind.

Some of them continued to hunt down demons and out-of-control psychics, while others continued to work for the Star Court, capturing and transporting psychics handed over by the Empire across its various worlds.

Furthermore, in some rare cases, these women learned to suppress their ethereal energy field to some extent and gave birth to their own offspring while living with others.

The monastery gates were tightly shut. Elpis raised his hand and knocked on the heavy alloy doors with an ancient rhythm, one of the identification signals used by the Custodians and the Sisters of Silence during the Great Crusade.

After a period of waiting, the door made a muffled sound and slid open a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Behind the door was not the dilapidated darkness I had imagined, but two rows of cold, pale blue light, illuminating a clean yet empty passageway.

Elpis had visited the monastery before, where silent nuns stood guard on either side of the doors. Now, however, things had changed, and no one stood guard there anymore.

It is said that part of the monastery was built with psychic-resistant materials, and that the Sisterhood possesses psychic-negation technology bestowed by the Emperor.

Elpis pulled himself out of his thoughts, sighed slightly, and stepped into the corridor. He had visited the monastery several times, but he had never felt that the power of the moon goddess within him was affected.

The crisp sound of metal shoe soles hitting the floor echoed through the silent corridor. Elpis walked through the open door at the far end of the corridor and came to a hall where he met the owner of the place.

She sat on a simple stone chair, draped in a plain black robe over a layer of Valatine armor, a massive two-handed sword of astonishing size resting beside her. Two guards, similarly dressed, stood motionless on either side of the chair.

Unlike her sisters, she did not wear any mask, revealing a pale, scarred, and unusually calm face, deeply marked by the passage of time, but with sharp eyes.

"Queen without Souls, Lord of the Silent Nun," Elpis nodded in acknowledgment, expressing his respect for the other party.

The Soulless Queen narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze instantly focusing on the iconic silver spear in Elpis's hand. She immediately understood who the newcomer was.

"Lord of the Moon Spear, Elpis," the Soulless Queen didn't speak, but her hands moved fluidly in front of her, gesturing in complex sign language, "What brings you here alone?"

This is a common trait among the nuns of silence. Every nun takes the "Pledge of Silence," vowing to remain silent forever and dedicate her life to the great cause of the emperor.

The Oath of Silence requires them to guard their acquired forbidden knowledge with absolute silence, and also ensures that they never utter a word of forgiveness to their enemies.

From then on, they learned to use various sign languages ​​to communicate with the Empire's allies, including thinking gestures, combat gestures, and even binary gestures to communicate with members of the Mechanicus.

As a member of the Imperial Guard personally trained by the Emperor, Elpis naturally knew how to read these sign languages.

"I bring you apologies and requests," Elpis said. "The Highlord's shortsightedness and mistakes have been acknowledged. All the sisters scattered throughout the lands should be found and reintegrated into the Empire's defenses."

The Soulless Queen did not act immediately. She stared at Elpis, seemingly trying to decipher the meaning of the Imperial Guard's words. After a long while, she made another gesture:

"The Empire's actions have broken the hearts of many sisters, leaving them displaced. Not everyone is willing to trust the current Imperial government."

Elpis pulled a data panel from his pocket, which displayed various information: the orcs invaded the entire empire, the last Imperial Fist Kurland launched the final high wall plan, the Lord of Fire Dragons returned to the empire, the expedition to Ulanor, and so on.

"For thousands of years, the Ten Thousand Warriors have been tormented by self-blame, unwilling to step out of the palace, but they are also willing to fight for the empire," Elpis handed the data panel to the Soulless Queen.

"The returned Lord of the Dragons is still willing to fight for the Empire as it is today, and the Primarchs scattered among the stars still come to Terra's aid in its most perilous times."

Elpis didn't ask for anything further; he simply presented all the information to the Soulless Queen and let her make her own decision.

Perhaps seeing the dangers throughout the Empire, or perhaps witnessing the Primarch's sacrifice, the Sister's eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion.

"I will inform the sisters throughout the Empire," the Soulless Queen's gesture became firm, "If the first group of sisters returns safely and the supplies arrive as promised, the gates of the Somnas Monastery will be open to the Empire."

"We do not accept any orders from the Highlords, but only respond to the call of the Lord of Man, or the needs of the Ten Thousand and the Primarchs."

"As always," Elpis nodded solemnly, "the sisters' reputations will be restored. Hopefully, this will be an opportunity to mend the rift that has lasted for a thousand years."

Both sides reached an agreement. Elpis did not linger and turned to leave the monastery. His golden figure once again blended into the long corridor bathed in cold blue light, and his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The Soulless Queen watched Elpis depart, and a flame of hope rekindled in her eyes.