DO visit the scribes and upgrade all your spells to Apprentice II at least [it's < 40 copper per spell, not even a single silver] or Apprentice IV or Adept I. [15s -> 1g each, for level 1-10 spells]
I have Adept III Lightning Burst and Static Pulse and I can actually kite white, 4-mob groups. I could be saving for a horsey but... it's only a few gold and I'm afraid of horsies.