You're still not understanding the subtleties involved.
When something looks harmless (a person, a duck, an apple) but is throwing up a lot of weird signs, that a good indication that it is actually something dangerous in disguise.
When something looks dangerous, but is throwing up a lot of weird signs, that is a good indication that it is actually something harmless in disguise. Either as a voluntary effort to trick stupid predators into leaving it alone, or as an illusion placed created by someone else who wants someone to kill it.
I figure Anderson has had at least ONE unfortunate experience with a sadistic vampire or ghost or witch making an innocent victim look like a monster so that they could laugh at him after he's murdered the victim. Or a vampire needed some holy vessel destroyed but couldn't approach it, so they tricked the Scourge of God into doing the devil's work for them.
So, no. I really do think that when Anderson finds a spider-monster acting so thoroughly unlike a spider OR a monster, he's going to find it weird enough to ask questions BEFORE stabbing stuff.
Especially if he remembers the notes about "the Bergenwyrth spider" and how it's hiding rituals from the heathens in the Church of Healing.
