I suppose you're using the weapons and armor you were issued by the Priests of Paagrio, That's unless you have rich friends, of course, eh?
Whatever you have is fine for now. Remember to pay attention to what you find while hunting monsters - you can find armour, and sometimes even weapons, in the wild. If you're lucky, you might find cloth shoes, apprentice's shoes, or a cloth cap.
You should have been given two weapons, a squire's sword and training gloves. Even a novice like you can tell the difference between a sword and a brawling weapon, I think. The training gloves (hand-to-hand weapon) hit twice as often as other weapons, but they're not as powerful. Plus, you need both hands, so forget about a shield. Now the squire's sword (one-handed sword) is much sower than the gloves, but is more accurate and does more damage. Remember that different weapons may call upon different skills in their use. Either is a worth weapon - it is up to you to decide which suits you best.
Come back when you reach level 6 and we'll talk more about weapons.