Hmm, I thought I had rested quite a bit. I rest after every 2nd battle because I'm running out of magic fast (for the very reason that my equipment sucks). I will have to check the stores in New City after I'm done with the Gorn castle. Also it is as I expected: looking at a gameplay video someone encountered 6 Gorn Lancers in a square where I had encountered 6 Gorn Lancers and 18 Gorn Rangers arranged in 4 groups.
So next time I'll want to keep my level down until I get some better equipment.